CLEVELAND - The Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) announced the 2025-26 recipients of the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Awards. The Academic Achievement Awards, in its 19th year, is a program that recognizes the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the Division II level.

143 student-athletes at UVA Wise earned the honor. A complete list of those is available at the link to the right or by clicking here.

For the second straight year, there were more than 19,000 student-athletes recognized (19,774) from 192 institutions for the 2023-24 Academic Achievement Awards. This year's total is the highest in the program's history. In total, 167,396 student-athletes have been recognized since the inception of the awards program.

Overall, a total of 21,000-plus student-athletes were recognized from 179 institutions for the 2025-26 Academic Achievement Awards.
 
Historically, 211,256 total student-athletes have been recognized since the inception of the awards program.

This year, nine conferences have more than 1,000 student-athletes recognized with the Pennsylvania State Atlantic Conference (PSAC) taking home the top spot with the largest number of student-athlete honorees with 1,969 total. The following conferences have more than 1,000 student athletes being recognized:

• Conference Carolinas – 1396Great Midwest Athletic Conference – 1210
• Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association – 1254
• Northeast 10 Conference – 1060
• Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference – 1428
• Pacific West Conference - 1186
• South Atlantic Conference - 1594
• Sunshine State Conference - 1119

"In year 19, this program continues its dedication to celebrating the exceptional student-athletes who define excellence across our Division II landscape," said Jenn Bell, associate VP and director of athletics at Converse University and current D2 ADA President. "We're proud to recognize more than 21,000 deserving student-athletes from 179 institutions, reflecting the tremendous dedication within our division — not only in athletics, but in the classroom as well. This year's submissions, from both individuals and schools, serve as a testament to the Division II way. Thanks to the administrators who nominated these outstanding individuals, and much-deserved congratulations to all this year's recipients."

To qualify for this honor, the following must occur:

• The AD MUST BE a CURRENT dues-paying member of the D2 ADA.
• Student-athlete must have …
  • a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale
  • have attended a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college level work 
  • have been an active member of an intercollegiate team during his/her last academic year

To view the complete breakdown by schools, click here or at the link on the upper right.

About D2 ADA: The D2 ADA is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities; enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics; and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of Division II athletics directors. For more information about the D2 ADA, please visit www.div2ada.com. The D2 ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 62^nd year. For more information on NACDA and the 19 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.