Western Kentucky Head Coach Amy Tudor talks with pitcher Erica Houge (11) and catcher Randi Drinnon (7) in the Hilltoppers’ 2-1 loss to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in Conference USA tournament at WKU on Thursday, May 8, 2025. WKU will play Sam Houston in an elimination game this afternoon. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS

Three Western Kentucky programs – football, softball and women’s tennis – earned the Conference USA Sport Academic Award on Friday.

The CUSA Sport Academic Award is given to the team in each conference-sponsored sport with the highest GPA for the academic year.

Softball led the way with a 3.74 GPA for the 2024-25 academic year. The program had all 16 athletes post a 3.50 GPA or better, with one athlete posting a perfect 4.0 across both semesters. In addition, Amy Tudor’s squad had two players named CSC Academic All-District, while another was named CUSA All-Academic. All 16 athletes were named to the CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll, while eight earned the CUSA Commissioner’s Academic Medal.

Women’s tennis was close behind softball with a 3.66 GPA and a total of seven athletes earning a 3.0 GPA or higher for the 2024-2025 school year. Sofia Blanco earned three straight CSC Academic All-District and CUSA All-Academic awards, while two other athletes earned CSC Academic All-District recognition as well. All eight athletes earned a spot on the CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll, while seven of those eight earned the CUSA Commissioner’s Academic Medal. The Lady Toppers also received the TOPSY Award for the 2024-25 Women’s Scholar Team of the Year.

Rounding out the trio is football, posting a 3.09 cumulative GPA across the 2024-25 year. Of its 98 athletes, a total of 72 earned a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater, and all earned a spot on the CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.