Eight Hope College athletic teams have been presented the MIAA Team GPA Award for outstanding academic achievement during the 2003-04 school year.

The award is presented to conference teams that achieve a cumulative 3.300 or better grade point average for an entire academic year. The award is administered by the Faculty Athletic Representatives of the MIAA member colleges.

The highest GPA achieved by a Hope College team was the women's golf squad, coached by Tom Smith, with a 3.60 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. It marks the third consecutive year that the women's golf team has been Hope's best.

Other Hope teams honored were women's cross country (3.54), coach Mark Northuis; women's tennis (3.42), coach Karen Page; women's swimming & diving (3.41), coach John Patnott; women's basketball (3.41), coach Brian Morehouse; women's track & field (3.40), coach Dereck Chavis; softball (3.36), coach Karla Wolters; and men's tennis (3.36), coach Steve Gorno.

The MIAA team GPA award program was initiated in 1998-99. Four Hope teams have received the honor every year (six consecutive years) -- women's cross country, women's tennis, women's swimming & diving, and women's track & field.