June 6, 2002

COLUMBIA, S.C. – As the University of South Carolina continues to have a banner year athletically, Gamecock student-athletes have also turned in their best academic performance ever, as USC released its athletic department academic report for the recently completed spring semester. The overall grade point average for USC student-athletes for the 2002 spring semester was 2.894, the highest on record. This performance tops the previous standard of 2.88 set a year ago in the spring of 2001.

Additionally, the Gamecock football squad posted its highest GPA ever with a 2.561, which betters the previous best of 2.511 last fall semester. The men’s basketball GPA was also up to a 2.553, a significant improvement from last spring’s 2.002. Two other teams – women’s soccer (3.303) and men’s swimming (3.272) recorded their highest GPAs over the past six years.

From a total of 417 student-athletes, a record 24 individuals earned a perfect 4.0 GPA this past semester and were named to the President’s List. An additional 87 student-athletes achieved between a 3.5-3.99 and 108 student-athletes recorded a GPA between a 3.0-3.49. In all, 219 student-athletes had a GPA of 3.0 or higher, which translates to nearly 53 percent of the student-athlete population.

“The academic performance of Carolina’s student-athletes has shown a consistent trend of steady improvement.” Mike McGee, director of athletics

“The academic performance of Carolina’s student-athletes has shown a consistent trend of steady improvement,” said Mike McGee, director of athletics. “In particular, the exemplary performance by our student-athletes this past spring semester is noteworthy. It is our department’s goal to have a championship-caliber program across the board, both athletically and academically. This outstanding performance reflects the hard work and effort put forward by our student-athletes and the commitment and leadership demonstrated by our coaches and academic staff.”

Nine teams had GPAs of 3.0 or higher, led by the women’s swimming team with a 3.475. Trey Dyson, a senior starter on USC’s SEC championship baseball team, received a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship from the SEC, as the Boyd McWhorter Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

USC Athletic Department Academic Report, Spring Semester, 2002