January 23, 2004

Contact: Bob McComas (724) 738-2777 e-mail: robert.mccomas@sru.edu

ROCK ATHLETIC TEAMS EXCEL IN CLASSROOM

            SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Members of  Slippery Rock University athletic teams personified the scholar-athlete ethic last fall by attaining grade-point averages that compare favorably to the university’s student body as a whole.

During fall semester 2003, 14 of The Rock’s 23 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams attained a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, which translates to a “B” average.

 As a group, Rock student-athletes achieved a cumulative GPA of 2.935 on a 4.0 scale. Female student athletes recorded a 3.126 GPA, while male student athletes had a group GPA of 2.761.

 SRU’s student body as a whole attained a 2.928 GPA during the fall semester; female students attained a 3.069 GPA and male students attained a 2.750.

 The Rock women’s tennis team, the reigning Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and NCAA Division II East Regional champions, had a team GPA of 3.333 to lead the student-athlete group.

SRU’s women’s track and field team, also the reigning PSAC champions, attained a 3.257 GPA, followed by women’s field hockey at 3.244; men’s tennis at 3.236; women’s volleyball at 3.218 and women’s cross country at 3.216.

Approximately 25 percent of The Rock’s 473 intercollegiate student-athletes attained GPA’s of 3.5 or higher, with 7 percent holding a perfect 4.0, during the fall semester and just less than 50 percent of the student-athletes had GPA’s of 3.0 or higher.

 Slippery Rock University currently has the third highest number of intercollegiate varsity sports among NCAA Division II institutions in the nation, behind only California-Davis – which has 25 sports and will move to Division I status in 2004-05 – and Mercyhurst (24 sports).

NOTE TO EDITORS:Carrie Osborne, assistant to the athletic director, coordinates SRU’s student-athletes’ academic progress. She can be reached at (724) 738-2827 or carrie.osborne@sru.edu.

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THE ROCK’S 14 ATHLETIC PROGRAMS OF ACADEMIC DISTINCTION

Sport                                       S-A                  QPA                4.0            3.5-3.99

Women’s tennis                  9                      3.333               1            3

Women’s track and field *            43                    3.257               6            8

Women’s field hockey18                    3.244               2            6

Men’s tennis                               8                      3.236               1            2

Women’s volleyball                      17                    3.218               1            5

Women’s cross country17                    3.216               2            2

Women’s softball            23                    3.166               2            6

Men’s cross country            12                    3.088               2            2

Women’s basketball                     17                    3.083               3            2

Men’s track & field *               40                    3.005               5            7

Men’s wrestling **                    19                    3.0                   1            4

Women’s water polo ***            14                    3.0                   2            0

STUDENT-ATHLETE TOTALS:

Women’s sports             202                  3.126               22            38

Men’s sports                         271                  2.761               12            33

TOTAL                                   473                  2.935               34            71

STUDENT BODY:

Women                                              3.069

Men                                                    2.750

Overall                                               2.928

*      Indoor and outdoor teams combined

**    Rounded up from actual average of 2.986

***  Rounded up from actual average of 2.959

S-A = number of student-athletes on that athletic team

GPA = Cumulative grade point average during Fall Semester 2003

4.0 = Student-athletes who attained perfect 4.0 GPA during semester

3.5-3.99 = Student-athletes who attained GPA of 3.5 to 3.99 during semester

# ROCK PRIDE #