Sam Student-Athletes Set Record With 3.22 GPA
2/7/2016 9:20:00 AM | Athletics
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With 41 student-athletes posting perfect 4.00 grade point averages, the 17 sports programs that compete at the NCAA Division I level for Sam Houston produced a record athletic department grade point average of 3.22 during the 2015 fall semester.
The previous record was a 3.16 GPA set in the fall of 2014. The new GPA marks the sixth consecutive Sam Houston athletics semester GPA above 3.0 and the seventh in the past eight semesters.
“We began tracking grade point averages when I was an assistant athletic director in 1992. The first semester's GPA was 2.53,” Sam Houston director of athletics Bobby Williams said. “To post our sixth consecutive 3.0 semester GPA with a record of 3.22 is outstanding.
“Our department seeks to define the student-athlete experience. The 3.22 GPA came during a fall semester which saw our football team make its fifth consecutive national playoff appearance, our soccer team reach the Southland Conference tournament championship game and our volleyball team reach its tournament semifinals. The success of our young men and women both in the class room and in the arena represents a total team effort by our coaches, student-athletes and administrative staff.”
Led by the nationally-ranked women's bowling team with a 3.80 GPA, eight Sam Houston athletic squads produced grade point averages above 3.0. Other squad GPAs above 3.0 included tennis (3.64), volleyball (3.56), women's golf (3.45), softball (3.34), soccer (3.29), women's track/cross country (3.09) and baseball (3.08). More than 425 student-athletes who compete in 17 sports at Sam Houston.
The performances highlight the SHSU Department of Athletics fall 2015 Academic Report released last week by associate athletic director for student services Chris Thompson and assistant athletic director for student services Dr. Jessica Payne.
“So much of the credit for this achievement goes to our department's coaching staffs,” Dr. Payne said. “It is the coaches who make sure the student-athletes are going to class and getting their academic work done. Also, over the years, our budget for academic tutoring has grown tremendously, allowing us to help student-athletes before problems begin. We want to thank the administration and the individuals who make financial contributions to our academic programs for their support."
Other academic highlights for SHSU athletics this semester included regional and league recognition of the success of Bearkat players.
Football wide receiver Josh Reynolds became the 11th Sam Houston student-athlete to receive recognition as NCAA Division I Academic All-Region by the College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA). Reynolds produced a perfect 4.0 GPA during his Bearkat career.
Reynolds joined punter Lachlan Edwards as one of only 50 football players across the nation to be selected to the 18th annual Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team.
Reynolds and Edwards along with safety P. J. Giddens and defensive lineman Jacobi Hunter on the 2015 Academic All-Southland Conference team. Also recognized as academic all-Southland this fall were Jordyn Vaughn in volleyball and Mariah Titus, Caitlin Schwartz, Kylie Hambleton and Katie Bunch in soccer.
A total of 105 Sam Houston student-athletes were named to the Southland Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2015 fall semester, the highest total among the league's 13 member institutions. The honor roll recognizes student-athletes who maintained a minimum 3.00 grade point average (GPA) during the semester in which their sport's championship competition occurred.
The Bearkats' athletic grade point averages and graduation rates continue to surpass the GPAs and graduation rates of the general student population at Sam Houston State University.
To best way for fans to enable Sam Houston student-athletes to continue to succeed both in bringing sports accolades and championships to the university and being leaders in the class room is to give financial support to the department as a member of Bearkat Champions.
Learn more about the sole fundraising arm for Sam Houston athletics and contribute by visiting the Bearkat Champions information page.
