Aug. 9, 2012

LOGAN, Utah - For the seventh year in a row, Utah State has led the Western Athletic Conference in number of academic all-league honorees as the Aggies landed 185 student-athletes on the academic all-WAC teams in 2011-12. USU just completed its seventh season in the WAC as it joined the league in July, 2005.

Overall, it is the 13th time in the last 14 years that Utah State has had the most academic all-league honorees as it led the Big West Conference in 2000 and 2002-05. In 2001, the Aggies ranked second in the Big West in academic selections.

"We continue to move the academic bar higher and our student-athletes continue to meet or exceed it," said associate athletics director for student-athlete services Dr. Brian Evans. "Academic achievement is a culture that we seem to have found the right formula in creating."

During 2011-12, Utah State had 185 student-athletes earn academic all-WAC honors to lead the league, while New Mexico State was second with 181. Idaho was third with 177, followed by Fresno State (142), Hawai'i (130), Nevada (104), San Jose State (102) and Louisiana Tech (92). To qualify for the academic teams, student-athletes must post a 3.0 cumulative grade point average and participate in at least 50 percent of the team's games.

Utah State's student-athletes traditionally rank among the best in the Western Athletic Conference with an 84 percent graduation success rate and a cumulative 3.19 grade-point average.