Aug. 8, 2006

IRVING, Texas - Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky has named the recipients of its Institutional Excellence Award and Sports Academic Awards.

The Institutional Excellence Award is given to the C-USA institution with the highest grade point average during the current academic year for all student-athletes in conference sponsored sports. In its first year as a C-USA member, Rice University earned the award with an annual grade point average of 3.096, with a record nine teams representing their respective sport's top GPA. Rice baseball and women's tennis teams, as well as the East Carolina women's golf squad, also each won the C-USA Championship for their respective sport.

The Sport Academic Award is given to the team in each conference-sponsored sport with the highest grade point average for the current academic year. The Tulsa women's cross country squad posted the highest annual GPA with a 3.584. Following is a list of the Sports Academic award honorees:

Sport - Recipient - GPA
Baseball - Rice - 3.069
Men's Basketball - Rice - 2.947
Women's Basketball - UCF - 3.225
Men's Cross Country - Rice - 3.333
Women's Cross Country - Tulsa - 3.584
Football - Rice - 2.809
Men's Golf - Rice - 3.522
Women's Golf - East Carolina - 3.575
Men's Soccer - Kentucky** - 3.044
Women's Soccer - Tulsa - 3.451
Softball - Marshall - 3.391
Women's Swimming - Marshall - 3.395
Men's Tennis - Memphis - 3.405
Women's Tennis - Rice - 3.493
Men's Track and Field - Rice - 3.216
Women's Track and Field - Rice - 3.301
Volleyball - Rice - 3.323

**affiliate member for men's soccer only