Athletics

July 29, 2016 | Athletic Communications

Women’s Hoops Tops Competitors in Academic Excellence

The award is given to the team in each sport in the conference with the highest collective grade point average.

Breanna Stewart '16 (CLAS) receives her diploma during Commencement this past May. (Bob Stowell for UConn)

Breanna Stewart '16 (CLAS) receives her diploma during Commencement this past May. The UConn women's basketball team earned the award for the highest collective GPA in the conference in their sport. (Bob Stowell for UConn)

The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team was presented with the American Athletic Conference Academic Excellence Award for women’s basketball, as announced by commissioner Mike Aresco on Wednesday.

In each of the 21 sports sponsored by the American, an Academic Excellence Award is given to the team with the highest collective grade point average during the 2015-16 year.

The selections are made by the conference’s Academic Affairs Committee. The winners were chosen based on the 2015-16 grade-point average of each student-athlete who appeared on an institution’s roster as of the last contest of the championship segment in each conference-sponsored sport.

UConn, which was one of six teams to win a conference championship and earn the honor, boasted a perfect 38-0 overall record during the 2015-16 season to capture an unprecedented fourth straight national championship, the program’s 11th title overall. The Huskies were a spotless 18-0 in conference games last season, and won their third-straight American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship.