Mavs Earn Fourth-Straight League Academic Achievement Award

ELMHURST, Ill. – For the fourth consecutive academic year, the University of Nebraska Omaha Athletic Department captured the Summit League Institutional Academic Achievement Award with the highest percentage of its list-eligible student-athletes recognized on the 2015-16 Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence released on Tuesday.

A total of 1,125 student-athletes appeared on the 2015-16 Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence, representing all 19 league-sponsored sports.

The Summit League also recognized Team Academic Achievement Awards in each sport based on percentage of list-eligible student-athletes on the Commissioner’s List. Omaha had a league-best eight teams claim individual sport honors, while South Dakota had five and Denver and Fort Wayne had four each. A total of seven institutions captured at least one sport award.

Baseball: Omaha (65 percent)

Men’s Basketball: Oral Roberts (71 percent)

Women’s Basketball: Denver & Omaha (100 percent)

Men’s Cross Country: Fort Wayne (83 percent)

Women’s Cross Country: Fort Wayne & South Dakota (100 percent)

Men’s Golf: Fort Wayne (78 percent)

Women’s Golf: Denver, Oral Roberts, South Dakota & Western Illinois (100 percent)

Men’s Soccer: Omaha (92 percent)

Women’s Soccer: Fort Wayne (100 percent)

Softball: Omaha (100 percent)

Men’s Swimming & Diving: Denver (81 percent)

Women’s Swimming & Diving: Omaha (96 percent)

Men’s Tennis: Denver, IUPUI, Omaha & Oral Roberts (100 percent)

Women’s Tennis: Omaha & South Dakota (100 percent)

Men’s Track & Field: South Dakota (65 percent)

Women’s Track & Field: South Dakota (94 percent)

Volleyball: IUPUI, Omaha & Western Illinois (100 percent)

Of the 1,125 student-athletes honored, 74 earned all A’s while 31 maintained perfect 4.00 cumulative grade-point averages (GPA).

In order for a student-athlete to be selected to the Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence, the student-athlete must carry a 3.00 or better cumulative GPA, used a year of eligibility and previously completed one academic year at the nominating institution.

Additional Academic Honors

UNO Athlete Named 2015-16 Summit League Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Baseball player Clayton Taylor has been selected as the 2015-16 Summit League Scholar-Athlete of the Year in a vote by the league’s faculty athletic representatives. The Summit League Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards are the most prestigious individual honors given by the league each season.

Taylor’s selection as the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year marks the first time an Omaha student-athlete has received the distinction. The senior third baseman was named Summit League Player of the Year and became a four-time all-league selection following the 2016 campaign. He completed the season with a .326 batting average, .544 slugging percentage and .430 on-base percentage. He led the league with 66 RBI and was second in home runs with 11, while collecting 43 runs, 12 doubles and 10 stolen bases. Taylor was also named a Freshman All-American by Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball in 2013.

Academically, Taylor graduated Magna Cum Laude in May with a 3.81 grade-point average (GPA) with a major in IT innovation and minor in management information systems. The UNO Scott Scholar for Engineering recipient was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team and earned his third consecutive Academic All-Summit League honor this season. A Chancellor’s and Dean’s List honoree, the Omaha, Neb., native has also been named to The Summit League Academic Honor Roll and Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence. In the community, Taylor has volunteered his time at the YMCA, Office on Youth, Camp Light, Habitat for Humanity and Watorford at Miracle Hills Assisted Living.

Mavericks Fill Up Summit Honor Roll

Omaha student-athletes were well represented on the Summit League’s Academic Honor Roll for the winter and spring seasons. One hundred twenty-six Mavericks made the roll, ranking fourth among the Summit’s nine full-time members.

To make the list, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.0 grade-point average in the semester in which they competed and have used a full year of eligibility.

Both UNO women’s golf (7) and women’s tennis (11) teams placed every member on the honor roll. Men’s tennis had eight of nine team members on the honor roll while men’s golf had five of seven team members honored.

Among the teams with larger rosters, softball had 13 of 15 team members (86.7 percent) make the list, swimming & diving had 31 of its 38 student-athletes (81.6 percent) on the list, and track & field had 24 of its 30 athletes (80 percent) honored.

Remarkably, among all UNO student-athletes, including hockey which is not a Summit League sport, 219 (79 percent) had a 3.0 or higher during the winter/spring season.