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Lindsey Wilson University Athletics Program Excelled in the Classroom in 2024-25

A total of 22 of LWU's 24 athletic programs earned an NAIA Scholar Team Award, which placed the Blue Raiders in the top 10 among NAIA programs.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (09/19/2025) — Lindsey Wilson University's athletics program was recognized this week as one of the elite programs of the NAIA, but the honor was not related to the results on a scoreboard.

Instead, it was based on Blue Raiders' performances in the classroom, which were among the best in the nation during the 2024-25 school year.

A total of 22 of Lindsey Wilson's 24 athletic programs earned an NAIA Scholar Team Award, which placed the Blue Raiders in the top 10 among NAIA programs. Teams who earned an NAIA Scholar Team Award had a minimum 3.0 grade-point average, which includes all student-athletes on a team's eligibility certificate.

"To have 22 of 24 eligible teams achieve NAIA Scholar team status is an amazing accomplishment," said Lindsey Wilson Athletic Director Willis Pooler '93.

Since the award's inception in 2006-07, a total of 261 Blue Raider teams have earned the NAIA Scholar Team Award. This is the fourth consecutive season and sixth overall in which at least 20 Lindsey Wilson programs earned the award.

Pooler said that is "a reflection of the emphasis our student-athletes and coaches place on academics."

"They put academics first, and it shows," said Pooler. "Our student-athletes tend to be high achievers in whatever endeavors they pursue. Success in the classroom clearly is a part of their makeup."

The top 5

Leading the way for Lindsey Wilson in the classroom in 2024-25 was the women's cross country team, who finished with a program-best 3.88 team GPA. Women's soccer was second (3.82), followed by women's swimming (3.78), women's tennis (3.67) and men's swimming (3.62) to round out the top five.

LWU men's and women's swim coach Alicia Kemnitz said that her teams' recognition for their performance in the classroom during '24-25 makes her "proud that our athletic department encourages and celebrates true student-athletes, where doing well in the classroom and earning a degree is the main goal."

Kemnitz, whose LWU programs have earned national titles in 15 events, said that student-athletes who excel in the pool often excel in the classroom as well.

"After over two decades coaching collegiate swimming, I have found that the best students are also often the best athletes," said Kemnitz. "The dedication it takes to commit to a subject and study or write is similar to the commitment it takes to be a serious student-athlete."

'The best versions of themselves'

It also helps that Lindsey Wilson coaches actively create an atmosphere of academic success for their student-athletes.

"Our coaches are very attentive to the academic success of our students," said Pooler. "Many conduct weekly study sessions and hold individual academic meetings. Intentional action and the right priorities lead to these types of results."

Lindsey Wilson football coach Phil Kleckler is among the LWU coaches who encourage their student-athletes to work toward success in the classroom. Kleckler mandates that football players attend study sessions, he sends them to get help and support at the university's Student Success Center, and he and his coaching staff teach their players how to develop and sharpen their time-management skills. That approach certainly paid off in '24-25, as the more than 125-member football team posted a program-best 3.11 team GPA.

"We expect our guys to be the best versions of themselves, both in the classroom and on the field," said Kleckler. "We do everything we can to push them to be the best they can be in the classroom and on the field."

The other Lindsey Wilson teams who earned the NAIA Scholar Team Award in '24-25 were: women's volleyball (3.59), men's tennis (3.58), women's golf (3.56), men's soccer (3.49), women's outdoor track and field (3.48), women's basketball (3.47), women's indoor track and field (3.44), men's golf (3.42), softball (3.41), men's cross country (3.40), men's basketball (3.39), women's bowling (3.34), baseball (3.25), women's wrestling (3.12), competitive cheer (3.11) and men's bowling (3.03).

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

Media Attachments

Lindsey Wilson University swim coach Alicia Kemnitz said that her teams’ recognition for their performance in the classroom during the 2024-25 school makes her “proud that our athletic department encourages and celebrates true student-athletes, where doing well in the classroom and earning a degree is the main goal.”

To ensure that his players perform well in the classroom, Lindsey Wilson University football coach Phil Kleckler mandates that football players attend study sessions, he sends them to get help and support at the university’s Student Success Center, and he and his coaching staff teach their players how to develop and sharpen their time-management skills.

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