Academic Team of the Year: Women's Volleyball wins award as all teams top 3.0 for first time
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – First awarded to Griffins curling in 1990-91 when it was called the Athletic Alumni Chapter Award, a trophy honouring the MacEwan team with the highest combined GPA has long been a part of our annual Griffins awards ceremony.
Named the Academic Team of the Year Award in the modern era of Griffins Athletics, it's the ultimate collective accomplishment of classroom excellence amongst our student-athletes.
It's also the only trophy from our traditional awards ceremony that we are able to award in 2020-21 after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of all Canada West competition.
Our 2020-21 winner is … Women's Volleyball.
With an impressive combined team GPA of 3.543, the Griffins women's volleyball team claimed the award for the first time since 2018-19 and for at least the ninth time in program history.*
They narrowly edged out runners-up Women's Basketball (3.463).
Impressively, every Griffins team had a combined GPA higher than 3.0.
"Congratulations to the women's volleyball team," said Interim Director of Athletics Lindsay McAlpine. "As the history speaks for itself, this program has embedded academic success into team culture. They vie for this award yearly, and in a situation as challenging as this season, they have found a way to send and receive such a strong message.
"With volleyball setting the bar so high, I am proud that for the first time in program history, all Griffins teams have managed to achieve over a 3.0 average."
Griffins women's volleyball head coach Ken Briggs noted the win is sweet for the team after they finished second in 2019-20 to Women's Cross Country.
"Our players understand the program's legacy that we're battling for that award every year," said Briggs. "We have a big roster – we have 18 girls and eight first years – and for them to be that successful, they'll be very, very proud."
What really stood out to him about the 2020-21 Griffins women's volleyball team was the academic mentorship and partnership between the veterans on the squad and eight rookies. It's not easy to get assimilated to the life of a university student-athlete, especially when so many classes in 2020-21 were online only, but the first-years on the Griffins women's volleyball team not only fit right in, they excelled in their academic pursuits.
"One of the things I'm most proud of is somehow the seniors got the message through," said Briggs. "We have eight first-years. For them, everybody expects a tough first semester. I was really, really proud of them because somehow the seniors got the message across for what it really takes.
"I'm really proud of the fifth-years because although their season got cancelled, the message from them and our captain Kylie (Schubert) is we have to do everything we can do to prepare these players for next year – whatever it is – training in the gym and understanding (the importance of) marks."
It's the fourth time the Griffins women's volleyball team has won the award in the last nine years, but the 2020-21 honour will certainly stand out.
"I think because it's such a unique situation," said Briggs. "When I looked at the marks and then talked to them through the first semester and realized how hard online learning is, I was so impressed."
The 2020-21 Griffins women's volleyball team (top row to bottom, left to right): Sarah McGee, Rachel Perry, Rachel Jorvina, Megan Foxcroft, Mariah Bereziuk, Joslyn Peters, Jordyn Thomas, Danielle Jodoin, Dana Dunbar, Carly Weber, Amelia Anderson, Erica Bolink, Alyshia Bryks, Madison Stevens, Madison Hoppus, Macie Chapman, Lauren Tensen and Kylie Schubert.
And that concludes our 2020-21 virtual awards ceremony. We wish our student-athletes all the best as they finish off their academic studies for this season and prepare for the future, whether that be returning to the Griffins in the fall or joining the alumni ranks of #GriffNation.
In review, here are the links to all of our other 2020-21 awards and recognitions, including our Q&As with graduating seniors:
March 15 – Senior Q&A: Women's Basketball
March 16 – Senior Q&A: Men's Soccer
March 17 – Senior Q&A: Women's Hockey
March 18 – Senior Q&A: Men's Basketball
March 19 – Senior Q&A: Women's Volleyball
March 22 – Senior Q&A: Men's Hockey
March 23 – Senior Q&A: Women's Soccer
March 24 – Senior Q&A: Cross Country
March 30 – Individual Academic Awards
*Academic Team of the Year records are incomplete in our archives. We are currently missing information on who the winners of this award were from 1992-01, 2003-04, 2009-12. If you can help fill in the blanks, please contact Jefferson Hagen (hagenj23@macewan.ca).
