CLEVELAND, Ohio – For the third consecutive year, Lander University Athletics led the Peach Belt Conference in D2ADA Academic Achievement Award recipients. The Bearcats had 172 student-athletes earn the honor in 2024–25, bringing their three-year total to 530. Flagler College ranked second in the conference this year with 154 award winners.

This year marked the first time since the program's inception that more than 22,000 student-athletes were recognized nationally, with a record 22,740 honorees from 202 institutions. Both totals are the highest in the history of the awards, which have recognized 190,151 student-athletes since the program began.
To qualify, a student-athlete must have:

• A cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher on a 4.0 scale
• Completed a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college-level work
• Been an active member of an intercollegiate team during the last academic year

Lander student-athletes posted a 3.31 department GPA during the 2024–25 academic year. The Bearcats also had 94 student-athletes named to their respective conference all-academic teams, produced six PBC Elite 18 award winners honoring the highest GPA at a PBC championship, earned 17 Academic All-District honors, and celebrated an Academic All-American in men's lacrosse standout Carter Wilcox.