Nearly 400 Penn State student-athletes earn 3.0 GPA in spring semester

University Park, Pa. -- Penn State student-athletes continued their outstanding academic achievement during the 2004 spring semester, with just under 400 active student-athletes earning a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

During the most recent semester, 379 student-athletes earned a GPA of 3.0 or above, which translates to 57 percent of the 666 young men and women who were members of Penn State's 29 varsity sports, according to Russ Mushinsky, director of the Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes. There are approximately 800 Penn State student-athletes, including those who are medically unable to participate or whose competitive eligibility has been exhausted but are working toward their degree.

The 379 student-athletes earning a 3.0 GPA was an improvement of 26 from the 2003 spring semester total of 353.

Among the 379 student-athletes with a 3.0, 154 earned a 3.5 GPA or better to gain Dean's List recognition (minimum of 12 credits). The 154 high-achievers represented 23.1 percent of Penn State's active student-athletes.

Penn State's 29 varsity programs earned an average team GPA of 3.05 last semester and 19 teams posted a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.

"We are extremely pleased by the consistently outstanding academic performance by our student-athletes," said Curley. "It is a credit to their work-ethic and to the encouragement they receive from our faculty, academic support personnel and coaches."

The efforts of Penn State's Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes again was reflected in the 2003 NCAA Graduation Rates Report, which showed that 80 percent of Nittany and Lady Lion student-athletes who began their careers in 1996-97 graduated within six years, well above the 62 percent national average. The 80 percent rate was among Penn State's best performances in the 13-year history of the report.

Penn State's four-year graduation rate average for student-athletes was 79 percent, also considerably higher than the 60 percent national average. Northwestern was the only Big Ten institution with a higher four-year student-athlete graduation rate than Penn State according to the 2003 report.

The latest NCAA report also revealed that from 1987-88 to 1996-97, 94 percent of Penn State student-athletes who had exhausted their eligibility earned their diplomas.

During 2003-04, a school record 245 Penn State student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten accolades, the third-highest total in conference history. Over the past 10 years, Penn State leads all Big Ten institutions with 2,057 academic all-conference honorees.

Five Nittany and Lady Lion student-athletes were selected CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in 2003-04, including senior standout Kelly Mazzante, who was named the Academic All-American of the Year for Women's Basketball. Penn State has had 70 Academic All-Americans over the past 10 years.

In addition, women's soccer All-American Joanna Lohman won an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, as well as first team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors for the third consecutive year.