LEXINGTON, Ky. – Jacksonville University beach volleyball received multiple recognitions from the United States Marine Corps and the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Thursday.
 
The team received the prestigious USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award, as well as the additional Honor Roll distinction, which is only presented to the top 20 percent of the team GPAs in the division.
 
"These young women are rock stars," said Head Coach Dylan Hough. "They put so much effort into everything involved with being a student-athlete at JU and I'm thrilled to see us being recognized for those efforts.
 
"Each and every year we set our goals higher and higher, and each year they continue to outpace those goals. I am extremely proud of this group and grateful for our student-athletes, our support staff and our administration for all of the work they put into the process, day-in and day-out!"
 
JU was one of only 11 Division I programs to make the Honor Roll list. The team finished the year with a GPA of 3.68, posting a 3.72 GPA in the spring, which was in the top-five in program history. All 20 members earned a spot on the ASUN Honor Roll and 16 had GPAs of 3.5 or higher. Miller Reames and Katie Martinez each finished the school year with 4.0 GPAs and the team GPA was the second-highest in all of JU athletics this past year.
 
This year was the most successful on record academically in volleyball across the country, with a record 1,333 collegiate and high school teams receiving the award.
 
"The commitment our coaches make to help their student-athletes pursue the best versions of themselves is evident in the academic accomplishments highlighted today," said AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. "Achievement on the court has always been closely tied to success in the classroom which is reflected by the number of championship programs honored."
 
A long-standing partner of the AVCA, the United States Marine Corps extends its support to our nation's coaches and educators. Just as you make every effort to help your student-athletes succeed, the Marine Corps strives to help every Marine reach his or her potential. Whether engaging a local Marine to work with your athletes or recognizing high-achieving students, with your support as an influencer we will work together to ensure the success of our youth and the future of our nation. For more information about the Marine Influencer Program, or to invite a Marine to spend time with your team, please email community@marines.usmc.mil or visit https://RMI.Marines.com/Influencer.
 
The AVCA, an educationally based nonprofit headquartered in Lexington, KY, is the largest and most diverse volleyball coaches' association in the world. With a broad mandate to develop the sport, the AVCA provides leadership, recognition, advocacy, and professional development opportunities to over 8,000 volleyball coaches. Members include college, high school, club, and youth coaches, and well as a wide variety of product and service providers. Further information is available at avca.org.