In the 2008-09 academic year, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia student athletes performed very well in classroom, as 11 of the institution's 12 intercollegiate athletics programs tallied a 3.0 GPA or better on the University's 4.0 scale. In addition, The Division II Athletics Directors Association (DII ADA) announced that 26 student athletes were the 2008-09 recipients of the DII ADA Academic Achievement Awards presented by WeatherPORT.
For just the spring 2009 semester, all 12 teams recorded a GPA of 3.0 or better and the average grade-point average in the semester was 3.230. In addition, the university's 12 athletics teams managed an average grade-point average of 3.191.
"This is a credit to our coaches and their recruitment of quality student-athletes," said Athletic Director Bob Morgan. "We have a solid one through six comprehensive advising matrix system that all our student-athletes are placed in when they first arrive here on campus. Our full-time staff, along with our part-time coaches continues to emphasize the importance of a quality education for these young men and women throughout their collegial career. All of us are extremely proud of the student-athletes and their academic and athletic accomplishments at USP."
Women's cross country team tallied the highest GPA among the 12 teams with a 3.385 cumulative mark and a 3.623 mark for the spring semester. The men's tennis team managed a 3.364 cumulative team GPA and a 3.501 spring semester GPA to record the highest mark among the men's programs. The mixed golf team had the highest GPA amongst the two coed programs with a cumulative mark of 3.35 and a spring semester mark of 3.323.
"It is an accomplishment for any of our students to have this kind of performance in the classroom," added Associate Athletic Director Paul Klimitas. "But, a student athlete that must balance their academic and athletic responsibilities together makes their story even more special."
The Academic Achievement Awards is a program that recognizes the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the Division II level. Twenty-six student-athletes were amongst the 4,020 athletes recognized from 115 Division II institutions by the NCAA Division II Athletic Directors Association (DII ADA).
In order to be recognized as an Academic Achievement Award recipient, the student athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale; have attended a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college level work and be an active member of an intercollegiate team during his/her last academic year. The institution's athletic director must also be a current dues paying member of the DII ADA.
The 26 student-athletes are also amongst 194 student-athletes from Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference schools that were honored. The University’s 26 honorees was the second highest number of student athletes from a CACC school so honored, trailing only Philadelphia University's 40 honorees. The honorees represented 10 of the 12 sports offered by the school.