July 17, 2014

The women’s tennis team had the highest GPA of any Gamecock team with a 3.64 for the 2013-14 academic year.

South Carolina’s success on the fields and courts was once again mirrored in the classroom this past academic year. The Gamecocks sit atop the Southeastern Conference with 336 student-athletes on the combined academic honor rolls for the 2013-2014 school year.

“Success in the classroom combined with one of the most successful years of competition is what being a student-athlete is all about,” said Athletics Director Ray Tanner. “It shows how we are committed to recruiting young men and women who can succeed both academically and athletically.”

“We always tell them that you have to be a student before you can be an athlete.” Associate Athletics Director Maria Hickman

South Carolina is the only member of the SEC with over 300 student-athletes making the list, which includes the fall, winter, spring and first year academic honor rolls. Maria Hickman, Association Athletics Director for Academics and Student Development, also takes pride in the work her staff is doing inside the Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center to help the student-athletes succeed in the classroom.

“With the term `student-athlete,’ we always tell them that you have to be a student before you can be an athlete,” Hickman said. “Coach Tanner has given us every resource you can think of to achieve our mission, whether it’s technology, resources or funding for tutoring and for our staff. It’s a group effort.”

Although there is not an SEC Championship trophy awarded to the institution with the most student-athletes on the honor roll, Hickman says they will wear this badge of success proudly.

“It’s always a talking point for recruiting,” Hickman said. “Our ultimate goal is graduation. If we’re continuing to have 3.0 students, and they are working towards walking across the stage at graduation, we’re doing it right.”

Overall, South Carolina’s student-athletes achieved better than a 3.0 cumulative grade point average for the academic year, with a 3.161 last fall, and a 3.222 in the spring. It marked the 15th consecutive semester that South Carolina’s departmental GPA soared above the 3.0 mark.

Other highlights for the 2013-14 Academic Year include:

• South Carolina led the league for the eighth consecutive fall with 66 student-athletes on the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
• The Gamecocks led the SEC for the seventh straight year with 97 student-athletes making the First Year Academic Honor Roll
• South Carolina ranked second in the SEC for the total number of student-athletes on both the Winter Academic Honor Roll and Spring Academic Honor Roll with 77 and 103, respectively. It was the 8th straight year that the Gamecocks posted more than 100 individuals on the Spring Academic Honor Roll
• 59 student-athletes earned a 4.0 during the spring semester to earn a spot on the President’s List.

Women’s tennis posted the highest team GPA with a 3.64 for the last fall and spring semesters combined, followed by women’s swimming at 3.56 and women’s soccer at 3.51. Any student-athlete who participates in an SEC championship sport or a student-athlete who participates in a sport listed on his/her institution’s NCAA Sports Sponsorship Form is eligible for nomination to the Academic Honor Roll. He or she must have a grade point average of 3.00 or above for either the preceding academic year (two semesters or three quarters) or have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or above at the nominating institution.

2013-14 SEC Academic Honor Roll (Fall, Winter, Spring, First-Year)