Six Aggies Receive 1A FAR Academic Excellence Award

COLLEGE STATION – Six Texas A&M student-athletes received the 1A FAR Academic Excellence Award this year. The honor distinguishes student-athletes who participate in athletics at NCAA Division I institutions and have been awarded their Bachelor's degree between the Fall of 2018 and the Summer of 2019.
 
The award recipients must also graduate with a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 or higher and have participated in at least two years of intercollegiate athletics.
 
Aggies receiving the honor include four track and field athletes – Kristopher Grimes (Economics), Nathan Hite (Mechanical Engineering), Kaitlin Tanner (Turfgrass Science) and David Torkington (English) – along with Madison Malsch (Human Resource Development) from equestrian and Braden White (Marketing/Master of Science Marketing) from football.
 
"This award designates exactly what these student athletes have accomplished – academic excellence," said Faculty Athletics Representative Paul Batista, an Associate Professor of Sport Management. "On behalf of the A&M faculty, congratulations!
 
"While these six students have been so recognized, they are not the only ones doing outstanding work in the classroom. Over 50% of all athletes have a 3.0 or above grade point average. This reflects the tremendous work ethic of both the student-athletes and the Academic Services staff. These academic accomplishments of our student-athletes are a credit to both the athletic department and the faculty members who push them to achieve academic success."
 
Texas A&M's six award recipients are the second highest total the athletic program has achieved in the past five years.