Throughout the 2010-11 academic year, the University of the Sciences student-athletes excelled not only on the field of play, but in the classroom. The 142 student athletes on USciences’ 12 NCAA Division II teams had a combined grade point average (GPA) of 3.214, with 40 students achieving a 3.5 or higher and 53 making the Dean's List for the Spring semester (3.4 or higher).
At a recent Town Hall meeting, USciences President Dr. Philip P. Gerbino acknowledged the student athletes, mentioning that USciences ranked second in the nation last year in terms of Academic Success Rate (ASR)—the NCAA's measuring stick of student-athletes receiving their degrees—and has the potential to be No. 1 this coming academic year. Gerbino exalted: “Our kids don’t get a break. They have to perform and play sports as well.”
Students on men’s tennis, mixed rifle, and women’s volleyball teams had the highest GPAs of the 12 teams with 3.421, 3.380, and 3.360, respectively. Individually, standouts included Brad Driscoll PharmD’15 representing the mixed rifle team with a 3.71 GPA, who was recently named the 2010-11 Philadelphia Inquirer Men’s At-Large Academic All-Area Performer of the Year. Also pursuing a doctor of pharmacy degree and representing women’s basketball with a 3.97 GPA, Melissa Rotz PharmD’12 was women’s basketball co-performer of the year on the Inquirer list.
“Our student athletes academically, are true student athletes,” said Dr. Gerbino. “They are students who are disciplined, do well, and continue to do well, and I think we take great privilege in having them come here and do that.”
- Only one of the 142 student-athletes is not academically eligible for fall 2011 intercollegiate athletic participation
- At the conclusion of the spring semester the overall cumulative grade point average of Usciences’ 142 student-athletes is 3.214
- 11 of the 12 teams had a cumulative team GPA. of 3.0 or better
The cumulative team GPA’s are as follows:
Athletic Team Cum. GPA
Baseball 3.073
Mixed Golf 3.244
Mixed Rifle 3.380
Men's Basketball 2.853
Men's Cross Country 3.147
Men's Tennis 3.421
Softball 3.278
Women’s Volleyball 3.360
Women's Basketball 3.201
Women's Cross Country 3.192
Women's Rifle 3.159
Women's Tennis 3.257
Average 3.214