KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced that the Hartford men's basketball team received the Team Academic Excellence Award, which recognizes outstanding academic achievement by a team with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better for the 2020-21 season. In addition, rising seniors
Michael Dunne and
Hunter Marks were named to the organization's Honors Court for their excellence in the classroom this past season.
"We are very proud of our student-athletes' continued commitment in the classroom," said head coach
John Gallagher. "To be honored by an organization like the NABC with academic achievement awards in a year that our group advanced to the NCAA Tournament is especially gratifying. Our student-athletes demonstrated that academic and athletic excellence are both possible."
The Honors Court award honors men's collegiate basketball players in all NCAA divisions and the NAIA who excelled in academics. In order to receive this award, a student-athlete must be academically a junior or senior and have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2020-21 academic year. Additionally, student-athletes must have spent at least one year at their current institution.
Marks, a business management major from Philip Island, Australia, holds a 3.81 cumulative GPA. Tabbed the America East's Men's Basketball Scholar Athlete in 2021, he was also named to the America East Elite 18 Team (2021), the America East All-Academic Team (2020, 2021) and the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll (2019, 2020, 2021).
On the court, Marks was instrumental in leading Hartford to the program's first-ever America East Championship this past season. The forward was named to the league's All-Championship Team after averaging 11.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in the Hawks' four postseason victories. On the season, Marks averaged 9.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 24 starts and a team-high 35.0 minutes per game.
A guard from Matawan, N.J., Dunne holds a cumulative 3.58 GPA as a physical therapy major. He has been a member of the America East Academic Honor Roll in each of his three seasons, earning Commissioner's Honor Roll distinction in both 2020 and 2021. On the court, Dunne averaged 2.9 points and 1.5 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per game for the Hawks this past season.
The Hawks, who were the only team from the America East to receive Team Academic Excellence Award distinction, take home the honor from the NABC for the third time in as many seasons. Hartford had an outstanding year in the classroom in 2020-21, as its 3.61 combined team GPA ranked first among the America East's 10 men's basketball programs.
Hartford is coming off an historic year in 2020-21. Capturing the program's first-ever America East Championship after defeating UMass Lowell inside Reich Family Pavilion, the Hawks fell to Baylor, the eventual National Champion, in their first NCAA Tournament game. Hartford closed out the year with a 15-9 overall record and posted the best winning percentage (.571) in the program's Division I era.
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