A Historic Double Honor
The United Soccer Coaches organization recently recognized Jacksonville University’s men’s and women’s soccer programs as College Team Academic Award winners, a distinction that places the university among only 175 institutions nationwide where both teams earned the honor.
Out of 777 collegiate soccer programs across the country, just a fraction achieved the dual recognition, underscoring the consistency and academic ambition of Jacksonville’s soccer departments.
Under the leadership of head coach Ryan Moon, the women’s team posted a cumulative GPA of 3.69, establishing a new program record during Moon’s third season at the helm.
The men’s squad, guided by Ali Simmons in his fourth year, recorded a 3.59 GPA, ranking as the second‑best academic performance in the program’s history.
Together, the two teams propelled the entire athletics department to a department‑wide GPA of 3.57, a milestone that helped Jacksonville become one of only 12 schools on campus to surpass the 3.50 threshold for the first time.
The achievement also marks the third occasion in school history that both programs have been celebrated in the same award cycle, reflecting a sustained culture of excellence both on the field and in the classroom.
Within the ASUN Conference, the women’s team joined six other conference members with GPAs of 3.50 or higher, while the men’s team was among four conference schools recognized for academic distinction.