KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics named 898 Scholar Teams all across the country on Friday. All but three of Biola's intercollegiate programs were awarded the title of Scholar Team.

Biola's programs generally populate the top of the NAIA's list of scholar teams every year. The institution has had no less than 14 Scholar Teams in each of the past five years. This year's 16 honorees is an increase from the 14 winners last season.

Women's tennis and women's cross country led the way for the Eagles. Dee Henry's tennis team earned a combined 3.64 grade-point avera and Jonathan Zimmerman's cross country athletes worked towards a 3.62 GPA.

In order to be considered a NAIA Scholar Team, all eligible athletes combined GPA must be above a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

The Eagles athletes far exceeded that mark, with 13 of the 16 Scholar Teams working toward a GPA better than 3.25. This is consistent with the high GPAs in the NAIA, as 15 percent of all designated NAIA Scholar Teams had a GPA that exceeded 3.5.

Olivet Nazarene led the entire country as 19 of its athletic programs were named Scholar Teams. Lee University's women's golf squad led the NAIA by posting a 3.93 GPA.

More information on the Scholar Teams and the NAIA can be found here.