NORMAN, Okla. – The Webster University Men's Golf Team was one of 15 NCAA Division III programs to earn a President's Special Recognition from the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) that were announced by the organization on Thursday.
 
In order to earn a President's Special Recognition from the GCAA for academics, a men's golf team had to have earned a cumulative 3.5 or above grade point average during the 2019-20 school year.
 
Along with announcing the President's Special Recognition Award, the GCAA also released it 2019-20 Outstanding Team Academic Award winners. In order to be considered for a team academic award, a men's golf team is required to have at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
 
The Gorloks, who posted a 3.64 team GPA during the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 school year, was the only school from the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honored by the GCAA and one of only seven schools from the state of Missouri to earn some form of Team Academic Award honors from the GCAA and one of six from the Show-Me-State to earn a President's Special Recognition distinction as the others were Missouri State (NCAA Division I), Maryville University (NCAA Division II), Missouri S&T (NCAA Division II), Missouri-St. Louis (NCAA Division II) and Rockhurst (NCAA Division II).
 
It marks the seventh consecutive season that Webster has received the President's Special Recognition distinction from the GCAA and the ninth consecutive season that the Gorloks have earned a GCAA Team Academic Award. 

"Working hard and achieving success at one's sport and academically shows a true commitment for our program to the NCAA III ideals," Webster head men's golf coach Andrew Belsky said. "A high bar has been set over the last seven years by the team, and we have a goal every year of maintaining that high standard of performance on the course and in the classroom."
 
Joining Webster from Division III on the President's Special Recognition List in 2019-20 were Augsburg (Minn.), Babson College, Emory University, Gustavus Adolphus, Kenyon College, McMurry (Texas), Otterbein, Pacific Lutheran, Saint John's (Minn.), Stevens Institute of Technology, Swarthmore, Texas-Dallas, Wabash and Washington & Lee (Va.). In fact, like Webster, Augsburg, Swarthmore, Texas-Dallas, Wabash (Ind.) and Washington & Lee (Va.) were also recognized last year with a President's Special Recognition.
 
The GCAA also recognized the 2019-20 Academic National Champions from each division as this year's honorees were Kentucky (Division I), Maryville (Mo.) (Division II), Swarthmore (Division III), Wayland Baptist (NAIA), Northeast Mississippi (NJCAA I) and South Mountain (NJCAA II). The overall Academic National Champion for 2019-20 was the University of Kentucky as the Wildcats finished with a 3.89 team GPA.
 
Webster was one of 95 schools from all divisions to earn a President's Special Recognition status for having a team GPA of 3.5 or better.
 
DIII President's Special Recognition
(3.5 or better GPA)
Augsburg 
Babson
Emory
Gustavus Adolphus
Kenyon
McMurry
Otterbein
Pacific Lutheran
Saint John's (Minn.)
Stevens Institute of Technology
Swarthmore (GCAA Division III Academic National Champion)
Texas-Dallas
Wabash
Washington & Lee
Webster
 
DIII All-Academic Teams
(3.0 or better GPA)
Allegheny
Arcadia
Benedictine (Ill.)
Berry (Ga.)
Bluffton
Carnegie Mellon
Dominican (Ill.)
Earlham (Ind.)
Edgewood (Wis.)
Hampden-Sydney
Illinois Wesleyan
Mount St. Joseph
North Central (Ill.)
North Park (Ill.)
Oglethorpe
Piedmont
Rhodes
St. Joseph's
St. Thomas (Minn.)
Transylvania
Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Washington & Jefferson