Cleveland, Ohio - University of Toledo female student-athletes have been named the recipients of the 2017-18 Mid-American Conference Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) Academic Achievement Award, the conference office announced today.  The FAR awards recognize the conference institution with the highest overall grade point average (GPA) rank for both men's and women's student-athletes. This is the first time the UT women have won the award. The UT men have won the award three times.
 
The conference FARs worked with the conference's athletic academic advisors to compute an award that best represents the academic achievement of student-athletes in a competitive setting.  Using the same ranking method as the long-time Reese and Jacoby trophies (traditionally awarded to the best overall male and female athletic programs in the MAC), the FAR Awards are given to those institutions male and female programs with the highest overall GPA rank points within the conference. Only MAC-sponsored sports are used.
 
Toledo had the highest GPA rank as the Rockets women carried the highest league GPA in women's golf, while posting the second-highest GPA rank in women's soccer and women's tennis and the third-best GPA rank in women's cross country and women's track and field during the 2017-18 academic year.
 
"We want to extend our congratulations to all our women's sports for earning the FAR Academic Achievement Award," said vice-president and athletic director Mike O'Brien. "We take great pride in the academic success of our student-athletes. An achievement like this is a testimony to their hard work and dedication, as well as the tremendous support of coaches, administrators and faculty."
 
The MAC Institutional Achievement Award, which honors the school with the best overall GPA rank for all men's and women's sports, will be announced on Aug. 28.
 
2017-18 Toledo Women's Sports GPA by Sport
Basketball – 3.323
Cross Country – 3.646
Golf – 3.722
Soccer – 3.575
Softball – 3.349
Swimming & Diving – 3.494
Tennis – 3.546
Track & Field – 3.376
Volleyball – 3.582