Buffalo State Athletics Director Jerry Boyes and senior volleyball player Krista Wierzbicki accompanied President Dr. Muriel A. Howard to the USA Today Headquarters in McLean, VA on Friday to accept a $20,000 check recognizing the school as first place in its division in the NCAA Academic Achievement Awards Program for “Highest Student-Athlete Graduation Rates Above the Student Body Average for 1996-02.”

One of 15 award winners, Buffalo State won first place for Division III schools with a student-athlete graduation rate 39 percent above the student body average. The awards, made possible through a generous gift from USA Today, recognize superior graduation success among student-athletes, and are based on data on student-athletes and the general student population compiled by the U.S. Department of Education and the NCAA.

“This prestigious honor is rightly deserved by the student-athletes of Buffalo State College. It is a testament to their hard work and dedication in the classroom as well as on their venue of play. Our coaches pride themselves on recruiting high quality student-athletes and once these students come on campus they are vested in the college and are committed to completing their education at Buffalo State,” said Boyes.