Mercer Receives Fifth Consecutive SoCon Barrett-Bonner Award for Academic Achievement

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MACON – Mercer University earned its fifth consecutive Barrett-Bonner Award from the Southern Conference at the conclusion of the 2019-2020 academic year.

The Barrett-Bonner Award is given to the SoCon institution that places the highest percentage of its student-athletes on the league’s academic honor roll. Mercer placed 73.5% of its student-athletes on the Southern Conference Honor Roll.

In addition to leading the SoCon in total Honor Roll selections and percentage of student-athletes on the Honor Roll, the Bears had a league-best 79 student-athletes earn the Commissioner’s Medal for posting a GPA of at least 3.8 and had a SoCon-high 33 student-athletes register 4.0 grade-point averages.

Mercer has won the award each year it has been eligible since joining the conference during the 2014-2015 academic year, and its five-year winning streak marks the longest since former SoCon member Davidson won the award six straight years from 2008-2009 to 2013-2014.

Mercer and Davidson are the only schools to win the Barrett-Bonner Award multiple times and have combined to receive the award 25 times in its 28-year existence.

First presented in 1994, the Barrett-Bonner Award is named after Col. John G. Barrett, faculty athletics representative at Virginia Military Institute from 1965-87, and Dr. Francis W. Bonner, faculty athletics representative at Furman University from 1968-90.