Fulton High School sports are picking up wins in the classroom.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association recognized 17 fall and winter sports teams with scholastic honors.
Of the FHS teams, 15 took home "distinguished" honors while the varsity girls tennis team and the freshmen girls basketball team received "outstanding" honors.
"We are extremely proud of the dedication, time management and perseverance it requires of our student athletes to accomplish these academic achievements," FHS principal Katie Boland said.
The MSHSAA academic awards are broken into two categories for qualifying teams. Teams with a GPA above 3.0 receive a "distinguished scholastic achievement" award while teams with a GPA of 3.5 or higher receive an "outstanding scholastic achievement" award.
FHS athletic director Ryan Waters pointed out there is a direct correlation between a student participating in an activity and having higher attendance and a better GPA. This claim was illustrated in a report created by Waters and administrative assistant Lacey Clark.
The report shows student athletes at FHS performed better in academic achievement, with higher GPAs and better school attendance than members of other school activities such as band or other clubs.
"We couldn't be more proud of our student's accomplishments, but hope to continue to build upon the foundation, expectations and standards of being an athlete in Fulton," Waters said. "The student athletes have set the bar high for future classes."