HILTON HEAD, S.C. – UNC Pembroke added its name to an elite list of just two current and former league institutions on Tuesday evening when the Braves were presented with the Peach Belt Conference Presidents' Academic Award at the annual awards dinner in Hilton Head, S.C. The award recognizes excellence in academics concerning all of an institution's student-athletes.
 
It is the third-such honor for the Black & Gold in the 12-year history of the award, but the first since collecting back-to-back honors in 2009-10 and 2010-11. The Braves joined former PBC member Armstrong State (4) as the only institutions to win the honor on three or more occasions.
 
Georgia Southwestern was also lauded with the honor on Tuesday evening as well, marking the first time in the 12-year history of the award that there has been a tie in the final calculation. Both UNCP and GSW had a 1.1007 ratio to lead the conference.
 
At the end of the academic school year the Peach Belt Conference asked each of the league's 12 members to submit an average GPA for the undergraduate student body and a GPA for all student-athletes. These two numbers were used to determine each institutions' GPA ratio that identifies which school's athletes are performing most ahead of the curve in comparison to the student body. The schools are not measured against one another, just their athletes to their students.