June 16, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Gamecock student-athletes concluded the 2010-11 academic year on a high note, posting their ninth-consecutive departmental grade point average above a 3.0 (3.137). Additionally, 67 student-athletes walked across the stage during spring commencement exercises, receiving their degrees. Fourteen out of 17 teams achieved a 3.0 GPA or better for the semester.

Two teams, women’s tennis (3.576) and men’s swimming and diving (3.279), achieved their highest mark on record this spring. A trio of squads, men’s tennis (3.546), women’s soccer (3.478), and football (2.711), earned their second-highest GPA. Also, seven teams improved their GPA from the fall of 2010.

Women’s tennis earned the title as the departmental GPA leader for spring 2011, while men’s tennis ranked a few hundredths of a point behind the women. The Gamecock football team enjoyed a solid year academically, earning their second-best GPA in the spring, not far behind their highest GPA ever (2.779) recorded in the fall of 2010.

Fifty-eight student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA and, with that, a spot on the President’s List, while 161 were named to the Dean’s List. 334 student-athletes, more than half of the student-athlete population, were named to the Athletics Director’s Honor Roll (3.0 GPA).

“The academic numbers are impressive; there’s no doubt about it,” said Associate Athletic Director for Academics and Student Support Services Raymond Harrison. “Our staff has done a magnificent job staying true to our principles, challenging and motivating the student-athletes and holding them accountable to their academic priorities. The most impressive thing I hear is that teams are not satisfied with these accomplishments. They want to reach higher.”