EUGENE, Ore.  – One of the key components of the Bushnell Athletics Tri-Athlete Model is a focus on academic life, and that focus continues to be prevalent for the Beacons, who had record-setting GPAs and won numerous awards during the year.  
 
The overall student-athlete population earned a collective 3.34 grade point average. The men came in with a 3.12 GPA while the women produced a stunning record-setting GPA of 3.50.
 
76 student-athletes were awarded Academic All-Cascade Conference honors. Of the athletes who were eligible for the award (sophomores or higher with at least a 3.2 GPA), 64% qualified.
 
With a GPA over 3.0 and an Academic All-CCC percentage above 60%, Bushnell will earn the CCC President's Academic Excellence distinction for the seventh year in a row. Bushnell is the only school in the conference to earn the award all seven years in which it has been given in its current format.
 
On a national level, 71 student-athletes will be selected as NAIA-Daktronics Scholar Athletes, breaking the record of 64 which was set in each of the last two years. The NAIA prize is awarded to juniors and seniors who boast at least a 3.5 GPA. This award is calculated upon the conclusion of the spring semester, allowing sophomores who have moved to junior academic status to become eligible, along with first-year transfers. This award will officially be announced in September.
 
This summer the NAIA Scholar Team awards will also be announced with Bushnell having 13 of their 15 eligible teams among their numbers. NAIA Scholar Teams are those which earn a combined 3.0 GPA or higher during the current season. The top grades once again belonged to the Volleyball team, with a record-setting 3.75 combined cumulative GPA. Women's Cross Country was close behind with a 3.73 GPA as six different teams owned GPAs over 3.50. For the second year in a row, the top men's team was men's golf with a 3.48 GPA.
 
This year Bushnell honored six new athletes with election into Chi Alpha Sigma, the national scholar-athlete honor society. Jamie Figueredo, Alyssa Kuskie, Alvaro Molina, Brittany Ralston, Isabell Webber, and Magie Woginrich were recognized for having at least a 3.8 GPA in three or more years as a member of an intercollegiate team.
 
In addition to those athletes inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma and Bushnell's other honor societies, Three student-athletes were named the Outstanding Student in their respective major. The Gardepiey-Peloquin Award from the communication department went to Sam Silver, while the Outstanding Graduating Exercise Science Student award was bestowed on women's soccer player Blake Danna. Shay Coons was named the Outstanding Psychology Major.
 
Finally, the prestigious CoSIDA Academic All-America program, which recognizes success both in the classroom and on the field of play, bestowed honors on a number of Beacons. Seven student-athletes were selected, representing the highest number since the record-setting nine from 2017-2018. Selected this year were Shay Coons and Callie Wilkins from indoor volleyball, Sarah Reinecker and Aspen Slifka from women's basketball, Coons and Halle Neumann from beach volleyball, Andrew Webb from men's golf, and Rebecca Kuskie from women's cross country and track.

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