Athletes’ academic successes highlight fall semester

head-logo-80PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State student-athletes not only performed well in competition throughout the 2013 fall semester, they also showed outstanding results in the classroom.

With data from the first semester recently finalized, 446 total Cougar student-athletes posted a combined 2.96 grade point average for the 2013 fall semester, including seven sport programs that posted a team GPA of over 3.00. The 2.96 figure is above the 2.88 GPA compiled by all university students last semester.

“I take great pride as the director of athletics in not only seeing our student-athletes succeed on the playing field, but also in the classroom,” said WSU Director of Athletics Bill Moos. “To have the majority of our student-athletes representing both academic and athletic excellence is a testament to their work ethic and desire to succeed, in addition to the tremendous efforts provided by our coaches and staff. It reflects very positively on the entire university.”

Women’s golf led the way for Cougar student-athletes with a semester GPA of 3.38, followed closely by rowing (3.33) and swimming (3.32). Volleyball recorded a GPA of 3.28, its highest single-semester in program history, with 10 out of 15 team members earning over a 3.00 semester GPA.

Swimming is one of nine programs with a cumulative GPA over 3.00 with a department-best 3.35, with women’s golf (3.33), women’s track and field (3.29) and soccer (3.27) close behind.

Overall, WSU female student-athletes own a 3.23 cumulative GPA, an increase from 3.18 during the first semester of the 2012-13 academic year. Overall student-athletes boast a cumulative 3.02 GPA, up from 2.98 from a year ago.

For the sports of volleyball, football, soccer and cross country, Washington State produced 26 Pac-12 All-Academic selections for the 2013 fall season, led by soccer with nine. The football program saw its cumulative GPA jump from 2.64 during the 2013 spring semester to 2.72 following last fall.

Below are additional highlights from Cougar student-athletes following the last semester:

  • Male student-athletes are maintaining their highest average cumulative GPA—2.83.  Female student-athletes earned their highest cumulative GPA since Spring 2008—3.23.
  • Seven teams earned an average 3.00 or higher semester GPA—women’s golf, varsity rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis, women’s track and field/cross country, and volleyball.
  • On average, all student-athletes maintained a 3.02 cumulative GPA; earning the highest cumulative GPA since Spring 2006 (all university students average a 3.02 cumulative GPA).
  • Two hundred twenty student-athletes earned a 3.00 or better semester GPA (49 percent).
  • Sixty-six percent of female students-athletes earned a 3.00 or higher semester GPA (141/213)—they averaged a 3.21 semester GPA. Female student-athletes continue their streak, started in Fall 1999, of earning at least a 3.00 semester GPA (all university women earned a 2.99).
  • Twenty-eight fall sport student-athletes were named to their respective Pac-12 All-Academic teams.  Soccer led the way with nine honorees.
  • The men’s and women’s cross country teams had an outstanding fall semester.  The 10 men averaged a 3.33 semester GPA and the 14 women a 3.26, all while earning 14 credits.
  • Less than three percent (12/446) of all student-athletes cumulative GPA fell below a 2.0 after Fall 2013.
  • The 122 freshmen student-athletes averaged a 2.93 semester GPA with 13 credits earned—48 percent earned over a 3.00 semester GPA (58/122).
  • Twenty-one student-athletes earned a perfect 4.00 semester GPA.

 

Contact:

Bill Stevens ’87, Associate Director of WSU Athletics, 509-335-4294, wsstevens@wsu.edu