SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Georgia Southern rifle student-athletes Ashley Judson, Lillian Herring and Gabby Morrow were among the many honored by the Southern Conference this week for their work in the classroom. The Southern Conference released its academic honor roll for the 2019-20 academic year on Thursday, with a league-record 2,647 student-athletes from the 10 member institutions and 17 associate members earning the distinction.

The academic honor roll originated in 1988-89, when SoCon athletic directors established the award as a way to recognize the league's outstanding student-athletes. The academic honor roll consists of student-athletes who participated in varsity sports and posted a 3.0 grade point average or higher for the academic year, were eligible the entire academic year and were members of the final squad lists. The award is different from the academic all-conference award, announced Wednesday, which is determined by cumulative GPA and involves a participation requirement.

Of the 2,647 student-athletes on the list, a record 710 earned the Commissioner's Medal, awarded to student-athletes who attain a GPA of 3.8 or higher throughout the year. This year's total number of honor roll selections is exactly 400 higher than the record set last year, while there are 184 more Commissioner's Medals awarded than the previous record of 526 (since the standard rose from 3.5 beginning in 2015-16), set two years ago. It should be noted that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some schools instituted measures of academic relief this year.