By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The student-athletes at Tennessee Tech haven't just been getting the job done on the field or court or track during the spring, they've also been putting in the work in the classroom.
Tech Athletics' programs put together a composite 3.172 grade point average for the Spring 2018 semester, the eighth highest in school history. Ten of Tech's 14 teams achieved GPAs over 3.0.
The top mark remains the 3.293 that Tech's 14 athletic teams combined for in the Spring 2014 semester.
Even more impressive is that this marks the 19th straight semester that the composite GPA exceeded a 3.0 mark, stretching back to Spring 2009.
"To see our student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom is a thrilling prospect for us," said Tech director of athletics Mark Wilson. "We know we bring quality men and women here to campus and academics is the highest priority. Our goal is to send every student-athlete on their future paths with a diploma in one hand and a championship ring on the other."
The top marks came from the women's soccer team for the second straight semester, posting a 3.550 GPA, while women's cross country was second with a 3.487 effort and women's golf completed the Athletics Department's first women's top three sweep with a 3.441.
Volleyball, with a 3.078 GPA, has the longest current streak of 3.0-plus semesters with 36 in a row, stretching back to Fall 2000, while soccer has a streak of 29 semesters, and softball (3.179) and women's indoor (3.268) and outdoor track and field (3.302) have a streak of 28 semesters.
Tennis (3.338) completed its 20th semester over 3.0, while women's cross country reached its 12th and women's golf its 11th.
Rounding out the Top 10, men's cross country (3.410) and baseball (3.035) also exceeded the 3.0 plateau. Men's basketball (2.957), women's basketball (2.871), men's golf (2.776) and football (2.712) were close to the mark, posting good scores as well.
"We are proud of our student-athletes' efforts and hope they will continue to reach higher as they continue their careers here," Wilson said. "These efforts are a testament to the efforts of (Assistant Athletics Director for Academics) Dr. Lance Jasitt and his staff, as well as the continued support and instruction from the university's faculty, who spend countless hours ensuring our student-athletes' success."
