By TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The streak has reached 15.
For the 15th consecutive semester, Tennessee Tech's student-athletes have combined for an overall grade point average above the 3.0 mark, wrapping up the recent Spring semester with a 3.135 mark by the 14 Golden Eagles sports teams.
"One of the many things we are extremely proud of comes at the conclusion of each semester, when we are able to compile the overall performances of our student-athletes in the classroom, and we wee these outstanding results," said Mark Wilson, TTU Director of Athletics.
"Throughout the semester, our academic support personnel work with our student-athletes and we know they're doing well, but the proof comes in the numbers," Wilson said. "And every semester, we are thrilled to see these kind of numbers."
The Golden Eagle women's cross country team has supplanted the soccer team at the top of the list posting a program-best 3.541 average for the semester. Coach Wayne Angel's team not only topped all of Tech's teams, they made a huge jump from their Fall semester mark of 3.114. It's the first time a cross country squad has topped the Tech chart since 1989.
The Golden Eagle soccer team, which had led the way the past three semesters, was close behind with the second-best mark at 3.495. The Spring 2016 semester marked the 25th consecutive semester that Golden Eagle soccer has beaten the 3.0 milestone and 30th time in 31 semesters.
Coach Kenny Doyle's OVC Champion tennis team was third at 3.350, topping the 3.0 plateau for the 16th consecutive semester.
Placing fourth with yet another outstanding performance was the volleyball team. Coach Dave Zelenock's team mark for the semester was 3.237, making it the 32nd session in a row above 3.0 which is the longest streak among Tech's teams. The volleyball team's string runs all the way back to the Fall 2000 marks.
In all, 10 of the 14 teams came in above the 3.0 mark. Following volleyball were outdoor track (3.193), indoor track (3.193), women's golf (3.133), men's golf (3.065), men's cross country (3.063), and softball (3.029).
Softball and women's indoor and outdoor track & field have streaks of 23 consecutive semesters over the 3.0 plateau.
The baseball squad narrowly missed the 3.0 milestone, finishing up at 2.977 which marked a modest climb from the fall semester. The Golden Eagle football team had the largest improvement from the Fall semester, jumping from 2.449 to 2.905, the second-best team GPA in program history. Both basketball teams also saw modest increases over the Fall semester, with the men's tea at 2.866 and the women's squad at 2.843.
The success has been shared across the board. In the past 13 semesters, six different teams have posted the highest GPA of the semester. In addition, a total of 10 different squads have ranked first or second on the list.
"Our student-athletes established incredibly high academic standards several years ago, and each semester we have seen them maintain those standards," said TTU Director of Athletics Mark Wilson. "This was another sensational semester in the classroom for our student-athletes.
"Academic success is an area we focus on and have placed a lot of emphasis in, and these results provide positive feedback that we are continuing to achieve our goals," Wilson said. "We are extremely proud of our student-athletes. Ultimately, they are the ones who have done the coursework and achieved these grades.
"From the student-athletes to the coaching staffs to the administration, there is a strong commitment toward academic success, and these results show that the programs we have in place are working. These positive academic trends are a testament to the efforts of all of the people involved, and the work of (TTU Assistant Athletics Director for Academics) Dr. Lance Jasitt and his staff," Wilson said.
Photo by Rob Schabert
