CLEVELAND, Ohio – For the first time in program history, Kent State University has been named the winner of the 2020-21 Mid-American Conference Institutional Academic Achievement Award.  For this annual award, the Golden Flashes posted an overall athletic grade point average (GPA) of 3.447 for the 2020-21 academic year based on 445 students in 19 sports.
 
Eleven Kent State athletic programs posted a 3.50 GPA or higher. Kent State had 12 programs post single year perfect score APR rankings of 1,000, while women's basketball, men's golf, women's golf, gymnastics and men's cross country all averaged a perfect score APR ranking of 1,000 over the previous four seasons.
 
“We strive for competitive excellence both within and outside of the classroom. I could not be more proud of the hard work and efforts of our student-athletes over the 2020-21 school year,” shared Director of Athletics Randale L. Richmond. “This school year presented challenges like never before, and our student-athletes answered the call. I would also like to commend our Academics support staff for ensuring our student-athletes were able to thrive in the midst of adversity.”
 
The honor is presented annually to the MAC institution which achieves the highest overall institutional GPA for student-athletes competing in institutionally sponsored sports for the academic year.   A list of each top-three school’s 2020-21 GPA follows:
 
1. Kent State, 445 students, 3.447 GPA
2. Akron, 431 students, 3.398 GPA
3. Bowling Green, 396 students, 3.382 GPA