EUGENE, Ore. - 2020-2021 proved to be yet another incredible year in the classroom for Bushnell University. In a year that featured stringent CoVID protocols, smaller classroom sizes, more online classes, and plenty of adjustments to athletic life, the Beacons continued to excel, and earned numerous awards.
 
The overall student-athlete population earned a collective 3.33 Grade Point Average, with men coming in at 3.19 and the women at 3.42. All numbers were on par with the record-breaking GPAs from 2019-2020.
 
87 student-athletes were awarded Academic All-Cascade Conference honors. That number made up a record 68.5%% of eligible students (sophomores or higher with a 3.2 GPA).
 
With a GPA over 3.0 and an Academic All-CCC percentage above 60%, Bushnell earns the CCC Presidents' Academic Excellence distinction for the sixth year in a row. Bushnell is the only school in the conference to earn the award all six years in which it has been given in it's current format.
 
On a national level, 64 student athletes went on to also be selected as NAIA-Daktronics Scholar Athletes, tying the school-record set last year. The NAIA prize is awarded to juniors and seniors who boast at least a 3.5 GPA, and is now calculated after the spring semester, allowing sophomores who have moved to junior academic status to become eligible.
 
This summer when the NAIA Scholar Teams are announced, the Beacons will have 11 among the numbers. NAIA Scholar Teams are those which earn a combined 3.0 GPA or higher during the current season and all but one Bushnell team competing in the NAIA this season will earn that honor. The top GPA honors went to Volleyball at 3.67 and Women's Basketball at 3.65. The top men's team was the CCC-Champion golf team with a 3.51.

Bushnell also honored ten new athletes with election into Chi Alpha Sigma, the national scholar-athlete honor society. Noel Balderston, Anna Cardwell, Luis Diaz-Menendez, Jesse Gerlach, Aracely Marks, Natalie Martin, Sarah Reinecker, Mikayla Rodriguez, Claire Salness, and Jacob Truitt were recognized for having at least a 3.8 GPA in three or more years as member of an intercollegiate team. 
 
In addition to those selected for Chi-Alpha-Sigma and other honor societies, one student-athlete was recognized as the outstanding student in his field of study. Each year the Bushnell history faculty select a recipient of the Cleo History Award, given to a graduating history student who has excelled in academics and research. This year the award was given to men's basketball player Ernest Ugoagu.

Finally, the prestigious CoSIDA Academic All-America program, which recognizes success both in the classroom and on the field of play and is still in the midst of announcing winners in some sports, has recognized three Beacons. Women's soccer player Aracely Marks and women's basketball players Sarah Reinecker and Aspen Slifka were all honored as CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees.


Top Ten Stories of 2020-2021
#10 - Academics Remain Strong Through Adversity
#9 -  Tea Chatelain Qualifies for NAIA Championship
#8 - Track Qualifies Two for NAIA, Has Four All-CCC Finishes
#7 - Beacons Launch Two Sports for 2021-2022
#6 - Leadership in the Pandemic
#5 - Fortnite Takes Fifth Place in NACE Championship
#4 - Volleyball Qualifies for First NAIA National Tournament
#3 - Men's Golf Wins First CCC Championship
#2 - Women's Basketball Repeats as CCC Champs
#1 - Character Focus Never Falters