Bearkat student-athletes post record GPAs
1/27/2015 9:55:00 AM | Athletics
During a fall semester that saw a conference championship and FCS semifinal appearance in football, the soccer team's highest Southland finish ever, volleyball's eighth consecutive league post-season trip and all-league honors in cross country, Sam Houston's student-athletes also set records in the class room.
The more than 350 members of Bearkat sports teams combined to set a department record with an overall fall grade point average (GPA) of 3.16.
The 3.16 GPA this fall combined with marks of 3.01, 3.04 and 3.01 in the previous three semesters make the past two years the Kats' most successful time span ever in the classroom.
While producing record performances in the class room, Sam Houston's sports teams also have garnered back-to-back Southland Conference Commissioner's Cup all-sports titles in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
Looking at grade point averages for each student-athlete's academic careers at Sam Houston State University, eight squads boast overall GPAs above 3.0. For the department, the Bearkat sports teams have combined for a 3.12 overall career GPA.
Sam Houston's national championship women's bowling squad posted the department's highest overall team GPA with a mark of 3.57.
Other overall team GPAs included volleyball 3.52, tennis 3.50, women's golf 3.45, men's golf 3.35, soccer 3.29, women's track and field 3.05 and softball 3.02.
For the fall semester, volleyball owned the top team GPA with a 3.64 mark. Other top team semester GPAs included tennis 3.60, women's golf 3.59, bowling 3.57, soccer 3.45, men's golf 3.33 and women's track 3.09.
Thirty-eight Sam Houston student-athletes achieved perfect 4.0 individual GPAs during the fall semester. A total of 198 student-athletes sported semester GPAs higher of 3.0 or higher.
These performances highlight the SHSU Department of Athletics 2014 fall academic report released this week by associate athletic director for student services Chris Thompson and assistant athletic director for student services Jessica Payne.
The report named Josh Reynolds (football) and Deveney Wells-Gibson (volleyball) as Sam Houston's top student-athletes for the fall semester.
Wells-Gibson earned both All-Southland and Academic All-Southland and was a nominee for both conference volleyball "Student-Athlete of the Year" and academic all-region. She produced a perfect 4.0 semester GPA and possesses a 3.83 overall career GPA. Reynolds, a wide receiver for the Southland Conference champion football team, owns perfect 4.0 GPAs for both the fall semester and his career at Sam Houston.
"Eight of our sports teams possess overall team grade point averages higher than 3.0. That's an outstanding accomplishment and demonstrates that we are achieving our goal of defining the term student-athlete," Sam Houston director of athletics Bobby Williams said. "We are extremely proud of our student-athlete's achievements in the classroom and commend our coaching staff for the job they do in recruiting quality student-athletes."
Ten Bearkats from fall teams were selected to the Academic All-Southland Conference honor squads for their sports, an award which honors players for both academic excellence and outstanding performances on the field of player.
Academic All-Southland performers by teams were Michelle Griffith, Carling Urben and Deveney Wells-Gibson in volleyball; Madison Bible, Kylie Hambleton, Allie Johnson and Shelby McDaniel in soccer and Lachlan Edwards, Keshawn Hill and Luc Swimberghe in football.
The Southland does not name an Academic All-Conference team in cross country but honors those students in the spring with an overtime cross country/track and field selection.
SAM HOUSTON ATHLETIC SEMESTER
GRADE POINT AVERAGES SINCE 1992-93
1992-93 Fall 2.53 - Spring 2.41
1993-94 Fall 2.30 - Spring 2.57
1994-95 Fall 2.47 - Spring 2.48
1995-96 Fall 2.39 - Spring 2.55
1996-97 Fall 2.55 - Spring 2.59
1997-98 Fall 2.59 – Spring 2.59
1998-99 Fall 2.74 – Spring 2.62
1999-00 Fall 2.59 – Spring 2.69
2000-01 Fall 2.66 – Spring 2.60
2001-02 Fall 2.60 – Spring 2.59
2002-03 Fall 2.69 – Spring 2.58
2003-04 Fall 2.63 – Spring 2.78
2004-05 Fall 2.75 – Spring 2.76
2005-06 Fall 2.76 – Spring 2.79
2006-07 Fall 2.90 – Spring 2.90
2007-08 Fall 2.89 – Spring 2.93
2008-09 Fall 2.94 – Spring 2.91
2009-10 Fall 2.93 – Spring 2.87
2010-11 Fall 2.88 – Spring 2.83
2011-12 Fall 2.90 – Spring 3.00
2012-13 Fall 2.98 – Spring 3.01
2013-14 Fall 3.04 – Spring 3.01
2014-15 Fall 3.16
