The Seton Hill University Athletic Department was honored by the NCAA on Thursday afternoon as they were named one of 43 Division II schools to earn the Presidents Award for Academic Excellence.  

The award is given to schools that have achieved an Academic Success Rate of 90% or higher.  Seton Hill finished with an ASR of 93%.  The Griffins were the only school from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference to earn the award.  This is the second straight year that the Griffins have won the award.  

"It is an honor for our student-athletes to be recognized with such a prestigious award," said Associate AD for Compliance Chelsea Cook.  "We are incredibly proud of their dedication and achievements in the classroom, and we are equally grateful for the unwavering support of our faculty, staff, and coaches who foster a culture of academic excellence every day."

"The Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence highlights what makes Division II truly distinctive — our unwavering commitment to the full success of our student-athletes," said Colleen Perry Keith, president at Goldey-Beacom College and president of the Division II Executive Board. "Achieving a 90 percent Academic Success Rate is an extraordinary accomplishment, and these 43 institutions exemplify the balance of academic achievement, competitive excellence and personal growth that defines Division II. I am especially proud of the sustained dedication shown by the schools that have earned this honor year after year. Their consistency reflects a deep, campuswide commitment to ensuring that student-athletes are supported, challenged and prepared for life well beyond graduation."

The Division II ASR includes transfers into a school in the calculation and removes those who transferred out of the school while academically eligible. The ASR also includes over 30,000 nonscholarship student-athletes in the division who were enrolled in the four years covered in the most recent data.

Even when using the less-inclusive federal graduation rate, student-athletes are outperforming their peers in the general student population by five percentage points. For Division II student-athletes, the federal rate is 58%, while the general student body federal rate is 53%.

Emmanuel (Georgia) was the top performer, earning an ASR of 100%, followed by Hillsdale with an ASR of 99%. Bentley and Rollins each earned an ASR of 98%, and Augustana (South Dakota) rounded out the top five with an ASR of 96%.  The Northeast-10 Conference led the division with seven athletics programs achieving scores of 90% or more, followed by the Sunshine State Conference with six.