CLEVELAND – The NCAA Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2 ADA) has announced the 2015-16 recipients of the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Awards, and Chowan University was well represented.

Chowan had a total of 27 student-athletes representing 13 different sports selected for the award. The Academic Achievement Awards program recognizes the academic accomplishments of NCAA Division II student-athletes.

Selected for the honor were: Zach Cooper, Aaron Flanagan, Jake Moore (Baseball); Carlos Arroyo, Warren Powers (Men’s Basketball); Byron Rozier (Football); Christian Funes, Marco Lujan, Adida Manseka, Jordan Radisavljevic, Mateusz Izycki (Men’s Soccer); Mateusz Izycki, Rafael Goncalves, Farid Hajizada (Men’s Tennis); Chantel Roberts (Women’s Basketball

Ashley Tackett (Bowling and Cross Country); Gaby Rivera-Garcia (Women’s Golf); Sierra Burston, Jennifer Caird, Haley Haggard, Adriea Herndon, Evelyn McGrue, Mackenzie Reid (Women’s Lacrosse); Sarah Ghaffoor, Jennifer Harvell, Madison Spain (Women’s Soccer); Victoria Smolchenkova (Women’s Tennis); and, Suraya Chase (Volleyball).

A total of 156 institutions and a record number of student-athletes (8,072) are being recognized for the 2015-16 Academic Achievement Awards. For the fourth-straight year, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) had the most student-athletes with 846, followed by the Northeast-10 Conference with 842 student-athletes.

“The number of student-athletes that are recognized for their academic achievements continues to grow each year. I am so pleased the D2 ADA membership participates annually in this important initiative that showcases the academic efforts of our extremely talented student-athletes,” stated D2 ADA President Pennie Parker, director of athletics at Rollins College.

In order for a student-athlete to receive a D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award, the student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher, have completed a minimum of two years of college level work, and been an active member of an intercollegiate team during the academic year.

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 NCAA Division II athletic directors.