Illinois Central College Women's Volleyball Team Wins AVCA Team Academic Award

by Amanda Lewis

East Peoria, IL (08/15/2024) — The Illinois Central College (ICC) women's volleyball team earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2023-24 academic year. The award is given to college and high school volleyball programs whose entire team has maintained a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale) to recognize their commitment to academic excellence.

The ICC volleyball team's dedication in the classroom matches their impressive performance on the court. They won the District Tournament and are ranked seventh nationally by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) with a 29-10 record for the season. Head coach Tracy Heffren was named the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame Female Coach of the Year in 2024.

"We are incredibly proud of our volleyball team for their hard work and dedication, not only on the court but in the classroom as well," said Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey, President of ICC. "ICC is committed to fostering a supportive environment where student-athletes can thrive academically and athletically. When students thrive to this level, it is a tribute to all of Team ICC and how we support our students, in addition to our excellent coaching and athletics staff."

AVCA CEO Dr. Jaime Gordon praised the recipients, stating, "We are pleased that the record-setting success of the 2023-24 season on the court has extended to the classroom, too, as evidenced by more programs earning the AVCA Team Academic Award than ever before. This is a great example of how committed our coaches are when it comes to helping their players reach their full potential as both students and athletes."

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Illinois Central College is a two-year community college with campuses in East Peoria, Peoria and Pekin, Illinois, providing a high-quality, affordable education to prepare students to enter the workforce or to transfer to a four-year institution. ICC is the 2020 awardee of the National Community College Charles Kennedy Equity Award from ACCT, a 2022 EDA Good Job Challenge Institution, and the Lead College for the state of Illinois' Workforce Equity Initiative. ICC also conducts original research in agricultural fields, including water quality and soil conservation. For more information, visit icc.edu.

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