DALLAS – Rice earned Conference USA’s Institutional Excellence Award for the 2021-22 academic year as the Owls combined for an annual grade-point average (GPA) of 3.404, Conference USA announced Friday. The Institutional Excellence Award is given to the C-USA institution with the highest GPA during each academic year for all student-athletes in conference-sponsored sports.
The Sport Academic Award is given to the team in each conference-sponsored sport with the highest GPA for the academic year. Rice led the league as seven different teams recorded the highest GPA for their respective sports. Marshall followed with three teams. Eight other institutions were represented.
The following is a list of all Sport Academic Award honorees:
| Sport |
Recipient (*Repeat Winner) |
| Baseball |
Rice |
| Men’s Basketball: |
*Rice |
| Women’s Basketball: |
Marshall |
| Men’s Cross Country: |
Rice |
| Women’s Cross Country: |
*Rice |
| Football: |
*Rice |
| Men’ s Golf: |
WKU |
| Women’s Golf: |
Marshall |
| Men’s Soccer: |
FIU |
| Women’s Soccer: |
Florida Atlantic |
| Men’s Tennis: |
*Middle Tennessee |
| Women’s Tennis: |
UTEP |
| Men’s Track: |
*Rice |
| Women’s Track: |
*Rice |
| Softball: |
*UAB |
| Women’s Swimming: |
Marshall |
| Women’s Volleyball: |
*Charlotte |
| Women’s Beach Volleyball |
Georgia State |