The United Soccer Coaches have announced that three men’s soccer squads from the Empire 8 Athletic Conference have been named recipients of the 2025‑26 Team Academic Award, underscoring a conference‑wide commitment to scholarly achievement.
Award criteria and conference performance
The honor is bestowed upon teams whose combined grade‑point average meets or exceeds a 3.0 threshold on a 4.0 scale, a benchmark that reflects sustained academic performance across every player on the roster.
Keuka College topped the conference with a collective GPA of 3.42, the highest among Empire 8 men’s programs for the 2025‑26 academic year.
Hartwick College and SUNY Geneseo also earned the academic distinction, joining Keuka College in the select group of programs that met the rigorous standard.
Nationwide, 326 collegiate teams received the award, illustrating a growing emphasis on balancing athletic competition with academic excellence.