The last few years have been outstanding ones for Eastern New Mexico University Athletics on the field and on the court. Sunday afternoon, Greyhound fans had the opportunity to see that performance matched in the classroom. The Greyhounds were honored with a presentation of the 2016-17 Lone Star Conference Academic Excellence Award Presented by Balfour.
“I’m delighted to see that our student athletes perform well both on the field and in the classroom,” said ENMU President Dr. Jeff Elwell. “It’s a tremendous accomplishment for the team to have had the highest grade point average of any team in the entire Lone Star conference.”
Each academic year the Lone Star Conference honors a men’s and women’s athletic program with the Lone Star Conference Academic Excellence Award Presented by Balfour – highlighting the leagues continued pursuit of academic excellence. Last year, the Greyhound men’s programs earned the award for their outstanding classroom performance during the academic year. The ENMU men earned this prestigious award by having the highest collective team grade-point in the conference amongst all sports last year. As part of this honor, the men’s program receives a cash award and a custom trophy.
In 2016-17, the greyhound men’s team finished with the conference’s top GPA in five of 10 sports. Those sports were: baseball, football, indoor and outdoor track & field and soccer. Five individuals on those teams posted perfect grade-point averages while the combined GPA of the men’s teams was 2.911.
“We are proud of our student-athletes and their academic achievements,” said ENMU Athletic Director Dr. Greg Waggoneer. “Their commitment to their academics is paramount and their priorities are in order and this achievement demonstrates that commitment. We appreciate everyone that was involved in facilitating an environment that allows our student-athletes to be successful in the classroom and in their athletic endeavors including coaches, academic advisors, professors, compliance personnel, Registrars officer personnel Faculty Athletic Representatives, Financial Aid office personnel and others. This combined collegiate academic and competitive athletic environment provides a unique educational structure that results in academic knowledge and critical thinking skills along with character, teamwork, perseverance, resiliency, work ethic and competitive skills. We are confident in their ability to succeed in life after ENMU and we are proud that they will always represent Greyhound Nation!”
