Page 16 - MGATODAY-Fall2017_lr

MGA’s athletics program marks its third year in the National Association
of Intercollegiate Athletics and Southern States Athletic Conference.

Keeping Up with the Knights

By Sheron Smith

As Middle Georgia State continues to evolve institutions based on a scoring system that
as a University, so does the Knights measures the community involvement, academic
athletics program. success, and conduct and character of athletes.
Three years ago this fall, Middle Georgia Knights teams were more competitive
State accepted an invitation to join the National after the first NAIA year. Women’s soccer became
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. While the MGA’s first ranked team in the NAIA. Knights
Knights initially struggled on the playing fields baseball became the first MGA team to win a
and courts, which was to be expected, MGA’s conference championship, while men’s and
student-athletes began accumulating academic women’s tennis ranked in the top 25.
awards from the beginning, including several who
were named NAIA Scholars and others named to In all three years, the percentage of
All-Academic teams. student-athletes making the President’s
The overall athletics program earned an or Dean’s lists on the basis of grade point
NAIA Champions of Character Silver Award average was more than double that of
its first year in the association. The NAIA gives the general student population.
Champions of Character awards annually to

In spring 2017, baseball became the first Knights athletics team to win an SSAC championship.
16 MIDDLE GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY