ETTRICK, VA (August 3, 2021)- The Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) announced the 2020-2021 recipients of the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Awards. Among the recipients are 58 Virginia State University scholar-athletes. The Academic Achievement Awards, in its 14th year, is a program that recognizes the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the Division II level.

In order for a student-athlete to receive an Academic Achievement Award, they must have:  A cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale Completed a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college level work  Been an active member of an intercollegiate team during his/her last academic year  The VSU Trojans scholar-athlete recipients for the 2020-2021 D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award are:
First Name	Last Name	Sport	Academic Year Completed
Markiys	Dillard	Baseball	Sr.
Daniel	Dunn	Baseball	Jr.
Jeremiah	Hardy	Baseball	Grad.
Aaron	Harris	Baseball	Grad.
Darius	Holeman	Baseball	Sr.
Kevin	Russell	Baseball	Sr.
Kevon	Wharton	Baseball	Jr.
Tyquon	Wilkins	Baseball	Grad.
Jordan	Burzynski	Cross-Country (Women)	So.
Scheleck	Laraque	Cross-Country (Women)	Jr.
Zemar	Anderson	Football	Sr.
Kwabena	Boateng	Football	Sr.
Jaylon	Dean	Football	Jr.
Trevon	Epps	Football	So.
Ti'Shay	Ferrell	Football	Sr.
Tyrone	Fisher	Football	Sr.
Darius	Hagans	Football	Sr.
Darius	Price	Football	So.
Zachary	Wilcox	Football	Grad.
Nicholas	Woolfolk	Football	Sr.
Joel	Bowers	Indoor Track and Field (Men)	So.
Christian	Randolph	Indoor Track and Field (Men)	Jr.
Malik	Rush	Indoor Track and Field (Men)	Sr.
Jordan	Burzynski	Indoor Track and Field (Women)	So.
Akelia	Edwards	Indoor Track and Field (Women)	So.
Kiara	Hill	Indoor Track and Field (Women)	So.
Scheleck	Laraque	Indoor Track and Field (Women)	Jr.
Caleb	Butts	M-Basketball	So.
Cheikh	Sow	M-Basketball	Sr.
Nigel	Stewart	M-Tennis	So.
Joel	Bowers	Outdoor Track and Field (Men)	So.
Christian	Randolph	Outdoor Track and Field (Men)	Jr.
Malik	Rush	Outdoor Track and Field (Men)	Sr.
Jordan	Burzynski	Outdoor Track and Field (Women)	So.
Akelia	Edwards	Outdoor Track and Field (Women)	So.
Deriel	Green	Outdoor Track and Field (Women)	Grad.
Kiara	Hill	Outdoor Track and Field (Women)	So.
Scheleck	Laraque	Outdoor Track and Field (Women)	Sr.
Zanyah	Ailsworth	Softball	So.
Taylor	Bilyard	Softball	Sr.
Brooklyn	Bilyard	Softball	Grad.
Daija	Brown	Softball	Sr.
Samantha	Cunningham	Softball	Sr.
Leah	Harrison	Softball	So.
Julia	Jones	Softball	Jr.
Jada	Smith	Softball	Jr.
Jasmine	Turner	Softball	Sr.
Alexis	Baker	Volleyball	So.
Bethany	Henry	Volleyball	Jr.
Jailyn	Ivey	Volleyball	Sr.
Ambria	McBride	Volleyball	Jr.
Emma	Quarles	Volleyball	So.
Kayla	Taylor	Volleyball	Jr.
Jodorrian	Taylor	Volleyball	Jr.
Autumn	Hopson	W-Basketball	Sr.
Teara	Johnson	W-Basketball	Grad.
Valerie	Samuel	W-Basketball	Jr.
Jalynn	Spaulding	W-Basketball	Jr.

Continuing to develop athletic and academic champions, the VSU Trojans are 1-of-8 CIAA institutions represented on this prestigious academic list. 

In total, there were a record breaking 16,262 student-athletes from 188 institutions recognized for the 2020-21 Academic Achievement Awards. These numbers shattered the records for highest number of student-athletes being nominated since the award program's inception.

The Trojan student-athletes are preparing to return to campus for the start of the athletic season and the Fall semester beginning on August 23. 

For more information on VSU Athletics, follow Trojan Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports, on Instagram @VSUtrojans_1882 and on Tiktok @vsusports1

About D2 ADA: The D2 ADA is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities; enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics; and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of Division II athletics directors. For more information about the D2 ADA, please visit www.div2ada.com. The D2 ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 56^th year.