FORT MYERS, Fla. – For the 13th-consecutive year, the FGCU women's soccer team has received the Team Academic Award from the United Soccer Coaches, as announced by the organization on Thursday. The 2019-20 squad, which earned the recognition, posted a 3.58 cumulative GPA – the second-highest of all NCAA Division I programs in the state of Florida, just behind UNF (3.67).

The selection criteria dictates that teams with a composite grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale, that are also active members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services Program, will be honored.

"Winning an award like this is a testament to our team culture and our values as a program," head coach Jim Blankenship. "I think our success on the field speaks for itself, but this shows how well-rounded our student-athletes are. Our team is made up of high-achieving individuals and I am proud of them for performing the way they did in the classroom this past year, especially with how turbulent everything was in the spring. As always, I would like to thank Dr. Ashley Kuhn for her efforts and her support of our team, as well as the rest of the staff in the Hartley Academic Resource Center." 

The team award comes on the heels of one of the Eagles' most successful academic campaigns to date. FGCU was one of just seven teams in all of NCAA Division I women's soccer to have three Academic All-Americans, as former players Evdokia Popadinova (United Soccer Coaches, Third Team), Lindsey Patton (United Soccer Coaches, Third Team) and Opal Curless (CoSIDA, Second Team) each received the prestigious nod.

Additionally, the 2020 spring semester saw the Green & Blue post a record-breaking 3.71 GPA. The team also had a department-high ten student-athletes turn in 4.0s, which boosted the program to its new height.  

Along with its success among programs in the state of Florida, the 2019-20 team's 3.58 GPA effort sits among the top of the ASUN, as only UNF (3.67) and UNA (3.64) bested the Eagles.

A total of 556 women's soccer programs earned the Team Academic Award from the United Soccer Coaches. FGCU was one of just 172 institutions to have both its men's and women's teams honored.

For complete coverage of FGCU women's soccer, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_WSoccer and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU women's soccer or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.

COACH JIM BLANKENSHIP
A veteran of over two decades in collegiate coaching, head coach Jim Blankenship, who was named the ASUN Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2019, has built FGCU women's soccer into a yearly contender in the ASUN Conference and a rising program in the South Region in just 13 seasons. Blankenship started the program in 2007 and has since guided the Eagles to 13 double-digit win seasons, culminating with ASUN Regular Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019. In 2011 and 2012 he also led the Eagles to back-to-back ASUN Tournament titles as they became the first team in the history of the university to make it to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles went on to win the 2014 ASUN Tournament and hosted the first NCAA Championship event on campus. The Eagles earned their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance with the 2015 ASUN Tournament Championship and won their first NCAA game at USF in 2015 while finishing 24th in the nation. In 2016, the Eagles made it three-consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament with a third-straight ASUN Tournament title. A year later, the Eagles became the first ASUN women's soccer program to make four-straight NCAA Tournaments with another tournament title in 2017. Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 167-59-25 (.716) overall record through the first 13 seasons of the program's existence, including an 82-15-15 (.801) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 407-130-36 (.743) over 26 seasons has come while leading FGCU, the University of Miami, Lynn University and St. Thomas University.

E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
 
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 24, 2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--