Nov. 21, 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina men’s soccer team has earned the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Award, while also being the national Division I leader in team GPA for the 2012-13 academic year with a 3.54 cumulative team GPA.

This marks the second time the team has recorded the highest Division I GPA after also leading the way in 2009-10. It is also the eighth time overall and the fifth-consecutive year the program has received the Team Academic Award.

“I’m tremendously proud of our team for achieving this milestone,” South Carolina head coach Mark Berson said of the accomplishment. “Our academic support staff and Steve Bondurant, our academic counselor, do a great job in establishing a clear path for our players. Then the players put their head down and do the rest. I’m extremely proud of this achievement. “

“I’m just proud of the guys. It’s difficult when you have 28 guys,” academic advisor Steve Bondurant said. “It’s really impressive to get 28 guys to buy into the system and to be dedicated to the system. It’s hard to get a group to consistently buy in. These guys have done it in the last year and have the highest team GPA on record. It’s a testament to their hard work and dedication. “

A total of 862 soccer teams (269 men, 593 women) posted a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher, thereby earning the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the 2012-13 academic year. Of that total, 182 schools, including the University of South Carolina, had both their men’s and women’s programs recognized.

Top 10 Division I Men’s Soccer Team GPA – 2012-13 Academic Year
School, Head Coach, Team GPA
South Carolina, Mark Berson, 3.54
Western Michigan, Chad Wiseman, 3.46
Xavier, Andy Flemming, 3.44
New Mexico, Jeremy Fishbein, 3.43
Bucknell, Brendan Nash, 3.41
Duke, John Kerr, 3.40
DePaul, Craig Blazer, 3.39
Georgia State, Brent Surrency, 3.39
University of Hartford, Tom Poitras, 3.39
Coastal Carolina, Shaun Docking, 3.38
Harvard, Pieter Lehrer, 3.38