KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The United Soccer Coaches announced the College Team Academic Award winners on Thursday afternoon and one of the 332 collegiate women's teams honored for their exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2021-22 academic year was the McKendree University women's soccer team.

The Bearcats, who are coached by Tim Strange, earned a College Team Academic Award after posting 3.64 grade point average during the recently completed 2021-22 academic year. McKendree earned the honor from the USC for the second consecutive season and sixth time overall since the award began in 1996.

In order for a team to earn a College Team Academic Award from the USC, that team must finish the academic year with a 3.0 or higher grade point average.

McKendree was one of six schools from the Great Lakes Valley Conference to earn a College Team Academic Award from the USC in 2021-22. Joining the Bearcats were Drury (3.68 GPA), Illinois-Springfield (3.30 GPA), Lewis (3.30 GPA), Rockhurst (3.49) and Southern Indiana (3.59). 

The Bearcats, who captured its fourth straight GLVC regular season title and advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the fifth straight year in 2021, open its 2022 season with an exhibition contest on Sunday, Aug. 14 at Leemon Field against Southwestern Illinois College and open the 2022 regular season on Thursday, Aug. 26 at Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa.