Carolina Athletes Set New Standard in the Classroom

May 22, 2007

The University of South Carolina’s mean grade point average (GPA) of its 463 student-athletes was a record-high 3.076 for the spring semester, breaking last spring’s mark of 2.992 and eclipsing the 3.0 barrier for the first time in department history, it was announced today.

“In my 36-year association with University of South Carolina Athletics, this is the first time that the overall semester GPA of our department has been a 3.0 or better,” said Harold White, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Academic Support and Student Services. “That is impressive.”

A record-tying 13 of the University’s 17 athletic programs posted a 3.0 GPA or better for the Spring 2007 semester. It marked the fourth straight semester that a dozen or more of the athletics programs exceeded the 3.0 GPA plateau. For the eighth consecutive semester, the women’s golf team led the way with a team GPA of 3.658. The men’s golf team had the highest men’s team GPA with a 3.541. Several teams posted its highest GPA on record, including football (2.630), volleyball (3.610), equestrian (3.467) and men’s soccer (3.334). Women’s swimming & diving also had its highest team GPA in six years with a 3.553.

Fifty student-athletes were named to the President’s List, which honors students with a perfect 4.0 GPA, while 126 student-athletes were named to the Dean’s List.

The overall mean GPA for 16,583 USC-Columbia students in the spring was 3.128. The spring GPA for the 198 female student-athletes was 3.400, while the 265 men combined for a 2.834 spring GPA.

TEAM GRADE POINT AVERAGES (Spring, 2007):

Baseball 2.852

Men’s Basketball 2.119

Women’s Basketball 3.343

Equestrian 3.467

Football 2.630

Men’s Golf 3.541

Women’s Golf 3.658

Men’s Soccer 3.334

Women’s Soccer 3.471

Softball 3.268

Men’s Swimming & Diving 2.816