Radford University

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Radford University led all Big South institutions by placing 57.9 percent of its student-athletes on the conference’s Presidential Honor Roll, announced Monday by league commissioner Kyle Kallander.

To be named to the Big South Presidential Honor Roll, student-athletes must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or better for the recently-completed academic year.

Classroom highlights for the Highlanders during 2008-09 included individual academic recognition for two student-athletes, Mehdi Benhammou (men’s tennis) and Ally Spector (women’s tennis). Benhammou was the Big South Scholar Athlete of the Year in men’s tennis, and Spector was winner of the conference’s Christenberry Award and SunBelt Rentals Scholarship.

Overall, Radford produced 61 individual academic award winners (Big South All-Academic, CoSIDA Academic All-District, etc.).

In addition, men’s soccer was recognized as one of the 35 Division I programs to earn the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches’ Association of America) Team Academic Award.

Across the conference, 1,347 of 3,033 total athletes (44.4 percent) were named to the honor roll, marking the league’s fifth-straight year above the 40 percent threshold.