Rockhurst finished the 2020-21 academic year with 49 of its student-athletes posting a 4.0 grade point average, earning each of them the Brother James Gaffney, FSC, Distinguished Scholar Award from the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

The volleyball team led Rockhurst with 12 representatives, followed by women's lacrosse and baseball with seven recipients. Women's cross country had four members. Men's lacrosse and men's soccers had three members, respectively.

Named after Brother James Gaffney, FSC, the former president at Lewis University and a two-time chair of the league's Council of Presidents, the award was given to 530 student-athletes across the conference that finished the academic year with a 4.0 average in the classroom.

The GLVC has seen a significant rise in perfect 4.0 GPAs since the inception of the award in 2016-17, although it began tracking the unblemished marks in 2013-14 as part of the Academic All-GLVC process.

2020-21 Rockhurst recipients of GLVC Brother James Gaffney, FSC Distinguished Scholar Award:
Audrey Arand, Volleyball
Jake Auer, Men's Basketball
Mackenzie Blair, Women's Lacrosse
Jack Burns, Baseball
Jim Burns, Baseball
Brandt Callahan, Baseball
Gigi Casey, Women's Soccer
Olivia Collier, Women's Lacrosse
Christine Corbin, Women's Lacrosse
Khiara Cox, Women's Soccer
Erin Cushing, Volleyball
Ian de Koster, Men's Soccer
Reagan Dodd, Women's Basketball
Hailey Dolphin, Women's Basketball
Derrick Evers, Baseball
Emma Finkeldei, Women's Cross Country
Faith Fritschle, Women's Cross Country
Ermanno Galimberti, Men's Tennis
Brooks Hanson, Men's Lacrosse
Berkley Hays, Volleyball
Kenzie Hines, Volleyball
Libby Kish, Volleyball
Katelyn Kochanowski, Women's Lacrosse
Boomer Kubik, Men's Lacrosse
Caroline Lynch, Women's Golf
Danielle Mabry, Women's Lacrosse
Jadyn Makovicka, Volleyball
Nathan Mark, Baseball
Sarah Matt, Women's Cross Country
Kaylie Meyer, Women's Tennis
Hannah Meyers, Volleyball
Sophia Moes, Volleyball
Sarah Montague, Volleyball
Shay Morgan, Women's Lacrosse
Maggie Moyer, Women's Cross Country
Emma Mullendore, Women's Golf
Will Pender, Baseball
Dani Prusha, Volleyball
Maureen Reilly, Volleyball
Paige Renner, Softball
Santiago Rodriguez, Men's Tennis
Will Rudder, Men's Soccer
Hunter Sands, Baseball
Sydney Shindler, Women's Lacrosse
Graden Soucy, Men's Lacrosse
Bryce Starzyk, Men's Soccer
Shelby Stefanon, Volleyball
Trent Weigel, Men's Cross Country
Calli Wibbenmeyer, Softball