SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Summit League released a list of more than 1,000 student-athletes named to the 2025-26 Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence Thursday as that number grew by more than 50 from a season ago. The list includes student-athletes from the League’s 17 different sports.
 
Qualifications

• In order for a student-athlete to be selected to the Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence, the student-athlete must carry a 3.50 or better cumulative GPA, have used a year of eligibility and completed three full semesters or five quarters at the nominating institution.
• Student-athletes having a 3.9 or higher cumulative career grade-point average are designated with an asterisk to indicate “with distinction.”

 By The Numbers

• A total of 1,016 student-athletes across 17 sports were honored on the Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence. A total of 402 selections earned the “with distinction” accolade.
• North Dakota State turned in the highest number of selections “with distinction” at 51, while South Dakota was second in the category with 47 and Oral Roberts was third with 46.
• St. Thomas held the most total selections with 171, while South Dakota followed in second with 128 and South Dakota State capped the top three with 118.
• The Tommies also had the most total number of student-athletes on the list of honorees with 154 while North Dakota State followed in second with 116 and South Dakota was third with 112.
• For the fifth time overall, the Denver Pioneers received the Summit League Institutional Academic Achievement Award (2016-17; 2021-2022; 2022-23; 2023-24). Denver had 71.7 percent of their list-eligible student-athletes earn the academic excellence accolade.
• The League awards Team Academic Achievement honors for each sport based on the percentage of list-eligible student-athletes on the Commissioner's List. North Dakota paced those efforts with four of their squads earning a team title, while North Dakota State, South Dakota, and Denver each had three teams earn the accolade.

List of Team Academic Achievement Awards:
Baseball: Northern Colorado
Men's Basketball: South Dakota
Women's Basketball: Denver, North Dakota, North Dakota State
Men's Cross Country: South Dakota
Women's Cross Country: North Dakota
Men's Golf: Oral Roberts
Women's Golf: North Dakota State & Oral Roberts
Men's Soccer: Massachusetts
Women's Soccer: Denver
Softball: St. Thomas
Men's Swimming & Diving: Eastern Illinois
Women's Swimming & Diving: Eastern Illinois
Men's Tennis: Denver and North Dakota
Women's Tennis: St. Thomas
Men's Track & Field: North Dakota State
Women's Track & Field: North Dakota
Volleyball: South Dakota
 
NOTE: "Selections" account for duplicated student-athletes on the list in the sports of cross country and track and field.

List of Institutional Academic Achievement Award Winners (Award began in 2009-10):
2009-10 .........................................South Dakota State
2010-11 ........................................ Centenary
2011-12 .........................................South Dakota
2012-13 .........................................Omaha / South Dakota State
2013-14 .........................................Omaha
2014-15 .........................................Omaha
2015-16 .........................................Omaha
2016-17 .........................................Denver
2017-18 .........................................South Dakota
2018-19 .........................................South Dakota
2019-20 .........................................North Dakota State
2020-21 .........................................North Dakota State
2021-22 .........................................Denver
2022-23 .........................................Denver
2023-24 .........................................Denver
2024-25 .........................................North Dakota State
2025-26 .........................................Denver
 
Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence (by total number of selections):
St. Thomas – 171
South Dakota – 128
South Dakota State – 118
North Dakota State – 116
North Dakota – 111
Kansas City – 104
Omaha – 102
Oral Roberts – 97
Denver – 81
Southern Indiana – 25 (swimming & diving associate member)
Eastern Illinois – 17 (swimming & diving associate member)
Massachusetts – 12 (men’s soccer associate member)
Northern Colorado - 9 (baseball associate member)
Delaware – 9 (men’s soccer associate member)
Illinois State – 6 (men’s tennis associate member)
Drake – 1 (men’s tennis associate member)

Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence (by total number of student-athletes):
St. Thomas – 155
North Dakota State – 116
South Dakota – 112
South Dakota State – 102
Kansas City – 98
North Dakota – 93
Omaha – 94
Oral Roberts – 86
Denver – 81
Southern Indiana – 25
Eastern Illinois – 17
Massachusetts –12
Northern Colorado – 9
Delaware – 9
Illinois State – 6
Drake – 1

A complete list of the 2025-26 Summit League Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence recipients can be found in the link above as a PDF.
 
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