(VENTURA, Calif.) Feb. 7, 2017 –
The Ventura College Pirates women’s cross country, track and field, and water polo teams are recipients of the spring 2017 California Community College Athletic Association "Scholar Team" awards. The CCCAA recently announced its academic awards for the 2015-16 year, and Ventura College is home to three of the state winners. The women's cross country, track and field, and water polo teams earned the highest academic team achievement given annually by the CCCAA. Ventura College is the 31st, 32nd and 33rd recipient of the award since 1997-98, a state record. At least one Pirate team has been honored in each of the past 17 academic years.
The women's cross country team achieved an overall GPA of 3.40 for the fall 2015 semester. The team finished sixth in the Western State Conference championships and 13th in the SoCal Regionals, qualifying for the state championships for the fifth time in six years. The award is the program's second as they were the State Scholar Team in 2006.
The Pirates' women's track and field posted an overall GPA of 3.37 for the spring 2016 semester. They finished a strong third in the Western State Conference championships and sent four athletes to the CCCAA state championships, placing 12th as a team – the program's highest point total and finish since 1997. It is Ventura College's first state "Scholar Team" award in track and field.
The Ventura College women's water polo team was 17-12 in the season in 2015, finishing in third place in the WSC tournament. The honor is the program's fifth award, having earned the state "Scholar Team" in 1999, 2008, 2009 and 2013.
All team members must have excelled academically with a total combined GPA of 3.0 or higher and have demonstrated better than average accomplishments in intercollegiate athletic competition. The program began in the 1994-95 school year. All of the 2015-16 "Scholar Teams" will be honored at the Celebration of Scholar Athletes Luncheon, during the 20th Annual CCCAA Convention, Wednesday, March 29, 2017, at the Hilton Concord, Concord, CA.
"A special congratulations to each of these teams for achieving such a high honor and to Head coaches Mary Giles and Tony Veney and assistant coaches Tyson Butler, Tom Lawrence (retired) and Linda Wright," said Ventura College President Greg Gillespie. "We would also like to thank Scott Brewer and Becky Hull for their leadership as counselors for student athletes," stated Ventura College Dean and Athletic Director Will Cowen, president, California Community College Athletic Directors Association.
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Ventura College, an accredited two-year institution of higher education, has been a part of the beautiful seaside community of Ventura, California, since 1925. It is conveniently located approximately 60 miles north of Los Angeles and 30 miles south of Santa Barbara. The 112-acre campus, set in the rolling hills of Ventura, has an enrollment of 14,500 students. Ventura College offers Associate of Arts and Associate of Sciences Degrees in 33 majors, and Certificates of Completion and Proficiency Awards in 61 areas of study. Ventura College also has Transfer Guarantee Agreements with CSUCI, CSUN, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. Class schedules are posted at www.venturacollege.edu. For more information, contact the Ventura College Student Connect Center at 805.289.6420.