KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State student-athletes continued to find success in the classroom as the Owls finished the 2013 spring semester with nine of KSU’s 15* intercollegiate teams posting a 3.0 grade-point average or higher for the term. As a whole, Kennesaw State had an overall team GPA of 2.99 with 59 percent of its student-athletes posting a 3.0 GPA or higher.
For the 2012-13 academic year Kennesaw State athletics owned a 3.02 GPA, after earning an overall team GPA of 3.07 in the fall.
“I am very proud of our performance in the classroom this past spring semester,” Director of Athletics
Vaughn Williams said. “We talk a lot about reaching our potential in the classroom and striving for improvement every semester. When you have nine of 15 programs averaging a 3.0 GPA or better, that definitely says something about the character and commitment of our student-athletes and coaches at Kennesaw State and I want to congratulate all of them for this achievement.”
The men’s golf team continued its dominance in the classroom with a department-high 3.65 GPA. They were followed closely by the women’s tennis team (3.59), which had every student-athlete achieve a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
“The men’s golf team continued to be outstanding,”
Randy Kennedy, assistant athletics director for student-athlete success services (SASS). “In addition, two golfers graduated this semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA. That is extremely impressive and speaks to the caliber of students we have in our athletics program. I congratulate Head Coach
Jay Moseley for a great job as well as the whole team.”
The men’s basketball team made history in the spring of 2013, registering a 3.05 GPA for the semester, marking the program's highest-recorded GPA.
“The men’s golf team continues to set the tone and has started a tradition of success inside and outside the classroom,” Williams added. “I also congratulate our men’s basketball team who had a record semester in the spring with its highest GPA in program history. This is something we want to continue in the future and I am proud of our student-athletes and coaches for moving that program in the right direction.”
“I am very proud of our guys for what they were able to do in the classroom throughout the course of this past semester,” head men's basketball coach
Lewis Preston said. “When I took this job a little more than two years ago academics was one of the main things that needed to be cleaned up and I think in a short amount of time we have done that.
"Now we are looking forward to taking that next step on the court and to continue to make all the people in the greater Kennesaw community proud, not only of our basketball program, but of our entire athletics department," Preston added.
Other team highlights include the volleyball team posting a 3.2 GPA under new head coach
Keith Schunzel, as well as lacrosse earning a 3.13 GPA in its first spring season of competition.
Individually, 21 student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA, with a total of 150 student-athletes registering GPAs above a 3.0. Kennesaw State also saw 45 student-athletes named to the Dean’s List for having a 3.5 GPA or higher.
“I am very proud of the work our student-athletes did in the classroom this semester,” Kennedy said. “Achieving an overall student-athlete GPA of 3.02 for the 2012-13 academic year is a great accomplishment, it truly shows that our student-athletes are dedicated to working hard in the classroom. I also want to congratulate all of our graduates. I feel they are prepared to do great things.”
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* - Kennesaw State has 17 intercollegiate athletic teams currently competing. However, for men's cross country and track and field, and women's cross country and track and field, they are each counted as one sport in terms of calculating GPAs.
Kennesaw State University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
