Buffalo State College has won 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. The honor carries a $20,000 award.

“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 Jerry Boyes, director of intercollegiate athletics at Buffalo State College.

Buffalo State’s men’s intercollegiate athletics program consists of eight varsity sports teams; its women’s program consists of 10. The college competes at the NCAA Division III level and is associated with the State University of New York Athletic Conference as well as the Eastern College Athletics Conference.

The intercollegiate program is sponsored as an educationally purposeful activity that focuses on the individual development of the student-athlete, emphasizing the positive value of physical activity, learned skills, competition, good sportsmanship and teamwork with a diverse population of student-athletes.