CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced today that The University of Toledo is the recipient of the Cartwright Award for its excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship during the 2022-23 school year.
 
It is the second consecutive season and third time overall that Toledo has won the Cartwright Award. This year's award ties the conference record for the most Cartwright Awards of all time, and Toledo becomes only the second school ever to win the award in consecutive years.
 
The Cartwright Award is an institutional award presented annually to one university in the MAC. A committee with representation from all 12 institutions selected the Cartwright Award winner from nominations submitted based upon the criteria of excellence in academics, athletics, and citizenship.
 
"The Cartwright Award celebrates overall excellence by a member institution athletics department," said MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher.  "The award provides an opportunity for the membership to recognize a peer for this prestigious award for academic achievement, athletics success, and civic engagement.  I commend the University of Toledo, its student-athletes, coaches and administrators and the entire institution for being selected for this honor."
 
"A huge congratulations to our student-athletes and coaching staff for making history by winning back-to back Cartwright Awards in recognition of your successes on the playing field, in the classroom and by giving back to our community," said UToledo President Gregory Postel. "Rocket Athletics is an important part of our University, and we are proud to have such strong ambassadors for UToledo earning multiple MAC titles and setting records for high grade-point averages."
 
The Cartwright Award is named in honor of Dr. Carol A. Cartwright, one of the most highly respected voices in higher education. Dr. Cartwright served as the president of Kent State University from 1991-2006 and president of Bowling Green from 2008-11. Dr. Cartwright previously was the vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of California at Davis and dean for undergraduate programs and vice provost at Pennsylvania State University. She has served on the NCAA Board of Directors and is a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. The Cartwright Award will be presented to Toledo at a football game later this fall. 
 
"Winning the Cartwright Award for the second consecutive year is a validation of the commitment to excellence of our entire University – student-athletes, coaches, faculty and staff," said Toledo Vice President and Director of Athletics Bryan B. Blair. "We are always striving for success in academics, athletics and citizenship, so to be recognized as the best in the Mid-American Conference for the second straight year is truly rewarding. Our goal now is to challenge ourselves to reach even greater heights in the future."
 
"This is a tremendous award for our student-athletes, our athletic department, our University and all of Rocket Nation," said Kim Nigem, a professor in the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation who also serves as the University's Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR). "In my role as Faculty Athletics Representative, I am continually impressed by the achievements of our student-athletes in the classroom, in our community and in their sports. It is certainly gratifying to see this recognition of their hard work. It makes me proud to be a Rocket!"
 
The following is a brief summary of the accomplishments by the University of Toledo in each of the three areas of academic, athletic and citizenship excellence: 

Academic Highlights 

• Won the 2022-23 MAC Institutional Academic Award for the highest overall grade point average in the conference (3.437 GPA) 
• The department's Fall 2022 semester GPA for 393 student-athletes was 3.401, which marked the highest GPA in Rocket history using a normal grading scale. That record was then surpassed by a 3.472 mark in the 2023 spring semester. 
• 72 student-athletes earned degrees during the 2022-23 school year. 
• 124 student-athletes were named Academic All-MAC, with 42 earning CSC Academic All-District honors. 
• Men's Basketball player JT Shumate was named CSC First-Team Academic All-America for the second consecutive season. 

Citizenship 

• Rocket student-athletes volunteered for over 1,100 hours of community service, working with children at the Boys & Girls Club, the Ronald McDonald House, area elementary schools, sports clinics, among many others.
• More than 70 coaches and staff from the UToledo Athletic Department volunteered over 200 hours cleaning area parks and helping install a fence at the Art Tatum Home during Toledo's Community 419 Day.  
• The Athletic Department hosted and participated in numerous civic engagement activities, including metal health, voter education, diversity, equity & inclusion, career networking and Title IX anniversary celebrations. 
•  Women's Cross Country runner Madeline Vining was selected as a student trustee on the UToledo Board of Trustees.

Athletic Highlights 

• The Rockets were MAC Champions in a school-record six sports: 
  • Women's Cross Country  
  • Football  
  • Men's Basketball (regular season)  
  • Women's Basketball  
  • Women's Tennis (regular season)  
  • Men's Tennis

• Toledo became the first school in the history of the NCAA FBS to win league titles in these six sports in the same school year, and one of only three schools ever to win outright titles in football, men's basketball and women's basketball in the same year.
• The Rockets won the Reese Trophy as the top men's athletic program in the Mid-American Conference for the second consecutive year.
• The Rockets led the MAC in attendance in football, men's basketball and women's basketball, the first and only MAC school to claim this feat.
• Women's Basketball went 29-5, 16-2 in MAC play, won the MAC regular season title and the MAC Tournament Championship crown. The Rockets defeated No. 14 Michigan in Ann Arbor, and later advanced to the NCAA Tournament, defeating No. 5 seed and Big 12 champion Iowa State in the first round.
• Football went 9-5, won the MAC Championship Title game with a 17-7 victory over Ohio, then went on to win the Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl with an exciting 21-19 win over Liberty.  
• Men's Basketball went 27-8, 16-2 in MAC play to become the first current MAC school to win three consecutive regular season championships. The Rockets went on to play Michigan in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.  
• Women's Cross Country won the MAC Championship for the second-straight season and qualified for NCAA Championships.  
• Men's Tennis won the MAC Championship and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament with a dramatic 4-3 victory over Western Michigan at the MAC Championship Tournament, the Rockets' first MAC title in 50 years.  
• Women's Tennis clinched its first regular-season MAC Championship title and concluded its season with a school-record 20 wins and a perfect 10-0 record in MAC matches.  
• Women's Volleyball went 19-13 and defeated Clemson in the first round of the NIVC.  
• Toledo won six MAC Player of the Year awards: Quinesha Lockett (Women's Basketball), RayJ Dennis (Men's Basketball), Pawit Sornlaksup (Men's Tennis), Cassie Alcala (Women's Tennis), Jeron Williams (Baseball), Barend Botha (Men's golf).  
• Toledo won five MAC Coach of the Year Awards: Andrea Grove McDonough (Women's Cross-Country), Tricia Cullop (Women's Basketball), Tod Kowalczyk (Men's Basketball), Tracy Mauntler (Women's Tennis), Al Wermer (Men's Tennis).  
• Barend Botha captured first place at the 2023 Men's Golf MAC Championships, was named MAC Golfer of the Year and qualified as an individual for the NCAA Regionals.  
• Jeron Williams earned second-team All-America honors by Collegiate Baseball.  
• Sophomore cornerback Quinyon Mitchell was named second-team All-America by Walter Camp, Phil Steele and Pro Football Focus, and third-team All-America by the Associated Press  
• Pawit Sornlaksup won a school-record 43 consecutive matches, was named the MVP of the MAC Championship Tournament, and named Mid-American Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Year for the second-straight season.
   

Cartwright Award Winners 
2022-23 - University of Toledo 
2021-22 - University of Toledo 
2020-21 - Miami University 
2019-20 - N/A (COVID-19) 
2018-19 - Miami University 
2017-18 - Miami University 
2016-17 - Eastern Michigan University 
2015-16 - Kent State University 
2014-15 - Central Michigan University 
2013-14 - Eastern Michigan University 
2012-13 - Kent State University 
2011-12 - University of Toledo 
2010-11 - Western Michigan University 
2009-10 - Kent State University 
2008-09 - Central Michigan University