HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – With the close of the most unique season in program history, the Alabama A&M Sports Information Office is counting down the Top-10 stories of the 2020-21 season throughout the summer. Today, we continue with the No. 2 story of the season – Bulldogs Deliver Historic Academic Honors.
 
Make sure to check www.AAMUSports.com every Friday to catch the latest release.
 
Story No. 2: Bulldogs Deliver Historic Academic Honors
There is a reason that "student" is the first part of student-athlete as it is the most important part of the college athletic experience. It is also something that the Alabama A&M Bulldogs have bought into fully and excelled at at the national level in 2020-21.
 
Competing and pursuing their degrees amid the backdrop of a national pandemic, A&M student-athletes produced a Department Grade Point Average of 3.0 for the Fall 2020 Semester. Fueling that tremendous accomplishment were 71-percent (249) of the program's student-athletes posting at least a 3.0 and 49 earning a perfect 4.0.
 
Speaking of graduation, the Bulldogs would finish what they started with 12 individuals earning their degrees in December 2020 and an impressive 36 graduates in April of this year.
 
They would also make history, time after time throughout the spring award season, beginning with multiple College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) honors, each the first in 29 years.
 
Women's basketball's Dariauna Lewis (Omaha, Neb.) became the first Bulldog at the Division I level, and first in nearly three decades, to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors and then proceeded to land just the fourth Academic All-America honor in school history. In earning both of those honors she also set herself apart as the only selection from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) with either.
 
She would also not be the only individual to pull off that double dip as football's Marcus Cushine (Palm Beach, Fla.) earned Academic All-District and Second-Team Academic All-America recognition.
 
He would be one of just two HBCU players nationwide to be selected and would be joined later in the spring by men's tennis' Fermin Ruiz Crespo. The latter would become the first tennis player, men's or women's, to earn Academic All-District in school history, doing so with a perfect 4.0 and still with the opportunity for Academic All-America honors next month.
 
To put those accomplishments in perspective, in the 69-year history of those award A&M had had just three honorees for each and currently has a total of five honorees in 2020-21 alone with two Academic All-Americans and three Academic All-District choices.
 
Multiple teams would also garner academic honors within their sports, including men's and women's track & field which earned the first USTFCCCA Academic Team recognition in each program's history.
 
They were joined by both men's tennis and women's tennis with Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) individual and team honors as well as bowling with three National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) All-Academic Scholar honorees.
 
In addition to all of those accolades, a total of 192 Alabama A&M student-athletes earn spots on the SWAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and a pair of individuals were nominated for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
 
As impressive as the year on the field, on the court and the lanes was, Bulldog student-athletes made certain that the 2020-21 season would also be remembered for exceptional efforts in the classroom.
 
The Schedule
Every Friday throughout the Summer and leading up to the 2021-22 preseason, the SID Office will release the list one at a time beginning with the No. 10 story on June 4. The No. 1 story in Alabama A&M Athletics, as chosen by the Sports Information Office, will be released on Friday, August 6.
 
Countdown to the Top-10 Alabama A&M Athletics Stories from 2020-21
No. 1 – Coming August 6
No. 2 – Bulldogs Deliver Historic Academic Honors (July 30)
No. 3 – A&M Sees Major Additions, Continues To Make Major Difference (July 23)
No. 4 – Bulldogs Rack Up Unprecedented Honors (July 16)
No. 5 – Women's Track & Field Brings Home Championships and Numerous Honors (July 9)
No. 6 – Women's Basketball's Dariauna Lewis Delivers Season For The Ages (July 2)
No. 7 – Men's Tennis Earns First SWAC Championship and NCAA Tournament Berth (June 25)
No. 8 – Softball's Coe Bursts Onto The Scene With Award Winning Season (June 18)
No. 9 – Women's Soccer Produces Record-Setting Defensive Effort In Spring Campaign (June 11)
No. 10 – Baseball Delivers DI Era Record-Tying Seven-Game Win Streak (June 4)
Honorable Mention (June 2)