The Big Ten conference announced 96 IU athletes earned the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award, beating a previous school record.
Of the honorees, over 20 maintained a GPA of at least 4.0 during the school year, according to a Wednesday press release from IU Athletics.
"This accomplishment speaks to the dedication that our students displayed during a year filled with unforeseen challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” IU athletic director Scott Dolson said in the release.
Distinguished Scholars are required to maintain a GPA of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year. To win the award, athletes must be a varsity athlete in at least their second academic year.
The Distinguished Scholar Award was created in 2008 in addition to the existing Academic All-Big Ten award. Academic All-Big Ten honors are awarded to varsity athletes who are in at least their second full year and obtain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.
Earlier this year, IU also surpassed its record for the most student-athletes to earn Academic All-Big Ten honors with 121 student athletes earning the recognition.
A complete list of IU Distinguished Scholars is available on the IU Athletics website.