INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana --- Biola University is one of just 32 institutions nationwide to earn the NCAA Division II President's Award for Academic Excellence. On Thursday, the Eagles were notified of the award by the NCAA national office.

"We are honored to be recognized for this prestigious NCAA Division II President's Award for Academic Excellence at Biola University," said Dr. Bethany Miller. "Our student-athletes work hard in the classroom, and our faculty and staff are preparing them well to thrive in life after graduation. Biola University is a wonderful place for our student-athletes to be empowered to reach their God-given potential, and we are grateful to see their success in this area."

Biola, Point Loma and Dominican are the only three PacWest schools to earn this distinction, which is awarded annually to athletic departments who have attained an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90 percent or higher.

The Eagles and Sea Lions both finished with an ASR of 96 percent, with Dominican carding a 95 percent. The national leader was Bentley University (Mass.), which attained an ASR or 99 percent. 

The Academic Success Rate is the percentage of student-athletes who graduate within six years of initial college enrollment and includes virtually all NCAA Division II student-athletes.

The three institutions from the PacWest are the most from any of the West Region NCAA Division II Conferences. The California Collegiate Athletic Association had just one award-winning institution (UC San Diego), while the Great Northwest Athletic Conference also managed just one (Seattle Pacific). 

Biola continues to rank among the top academic programs in the NCAA Division II West Region, adding this honor to its lead in Academic All-PacWest recognitions over the past two years. The Eagles' ASR of 96 percent puts Biola in the top-4 in all of NCAA Division II.

"The 32 schools recognized with the Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence are dedicated to supporting the academic success of student-athletes," said Gary Olson, chair of the Division II President's Council. "What is even more remarkable, 11 of these schools have been recognized each year of this program. We commend the institutions for their commitment to academic excellence and dedication to preparing student-athletes for life after college."

The full list of institutions to earn the award is below:
 

School	Four-Year ASR	Conference
Bentley University	99	Northeast-10 Conference
Thomas Jefferson University	98	Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference
Saint Michael's College	97	Northeast-10 Conference
Hillsdale College	96	Great Midwest Athletic Conference
Biola University	96	Pacific West Conference
Regis University (Colorado)	96	Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
University of Puerto Rico, Bayamon	96	Independent
Rollins College	96	Sunshine State Conference
Point Loma	96	Pacific West Conference
Eckerd College	95	Sunshine State Conference
Stonehill College	95	Northeast-10 Conference
Dominican University of California	95	Pacific West Conference
University of the Sciences	95	Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference
Rockhurst University	94	Great Lakes Valley Conference
Flagler College	93	Peach Belt Conference
Seattle Pacific University	93	Great Northwest Athletic Conference
Davenport University	93	Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Cedarville University	93	Great Midwest Athletic Conference
University of California, San Diego	93	California Collegiate Athletic Association
Lewis University	92	Great Lakes Valley Conference
Assumption College	92	Northeast-10 Conference
Barry University	92	Sunshine State Conference
Concordia University, St. Paul	91	Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
St. Edward's University	91	Lone Star Conference
University of Indianapolis	91	Great Lakes Valley Conference
Trevecca Nazarene University	91	Great Midwest Athletic Conference
St. Thomas Aquinas College	90	East Coast Conference
Le Moyne College	90	Northeast-10 Conference
Bellarmine University	90	Great Lakes Valley Conference
Mercyhurst University	90	Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
William Jewell College	90	Great Lakes Valley Conference
Florida Southern College	90	Sunshine State Conference