CHAPEL HILL—Over 18,000 individual awards have been given by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association to student-athletes for their achievements in the classroom as well as on the playing court or athletic field.

The NCHSAA made the awards in its AAA Scholar-Athlete program, which includes recognition of varsity teams which attain certain grades as well as individual athletes.

Individual AAA Scholar-Athletes attained at least a 3.5 grade point average for the semester in which he or she competed.  The award is based on first semester grades for fall and winter sports and second semester grades for spring sports, and the school submits the nomination form verifying the grade point average on behalf of the athlete or team.  

For the fall semester of 2011, a total of 9,810 student-athletes were nominated by NCHSAA member schools and qualified for this award.

In the team division, a varsity team earns AAA Scholar-Athlete recognition by attaining a 3.1 aggregate GPA on a straight 4.0 scale for that designated semester.  The school receives a certificate from the NCHSAA honoring the accomplishment and each member of the squad receives a certificate. A total of a whopping 609 varsity teams and 8,607 individual athletes from across the state achieved this distinction.

A minimum of five individuals is necessary to constitute a team, and all team members must be included in figuring the team GPA.  The team achieving the highest grade point average in the state in its particular sport and submitting its application by the appropriate deadline receives a plaque commemorating that achievement.

 North Carolina School of Science and Math, Western Alamance and Surry Central each had two team winners.

The top three teams in every sport will receive a cash award from AAA for their achievement, to be used in their athletic program.

“We are extremely proud of the achievements of the students involved in our AAA Scholar-Athlete program,” said Davis Whitfield, NCHSAA commissioner.  “This demonstrates that we have a large number of athletes that are playing sports and also succeeding in the classroom.”

NCHSAA AAA SCHOLAR-ATHLETE 

TEAM AWARD WINNERS

Fall and Winter Sports (Fall Semester 2011)

North Wilkes Football 3.400      

Ashe County Volleyball 3.900

Hertford Cheerleading 3.630

Crest Men’s Soccer 3.510

Mount Airy Men’s Swimming 3.720

North Moore Women’s Cross Country3.840

Western Alamance Men’s Cross Country 3.890

South Point Women’s Golf 3.900

Union Pines Women’s Tennis 3.800

N.C. Science & Math Wrestling 3.470

N.C. Science & Math Men’s Indoor Track 3.540

Western Alamance Men’s Indoor Track (tie) 3.540

Surry Central Women’s Basketball 3.880

Surry Central Women’s Indoor Track 3.900 

Highland Tech Men’s Basketball 3.480 

Patton Women’s Swimming 3.830