By: Scott Eddy, Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The fall semester was a banner one for St. Bonaventure student-athletes in the classroom as Bonnies compiled one of the top semesters on record for academic excellence in department history with a 3.487 semester GPA overall.
St. Bonaventure Athletics boasted an all-time high enrollment of 393 student-athletes this fall and with that came impressive academic numbers across the board. A total of 335 Bonnies student-athletes, or 85 percent of the department, achieved a 3.0 GPA or higher for the semester while 76 percent (298 student-athletes) reached 3.25 or higher. More impressively, 61 percent of Bona student-athletes landed at 3.50 or better while 49 Bonnies achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA for the fall.
"The commitment by our student-athletes to achieve excellence in the classroom as well as on the fields, courts, tracks and in the pools of competition remains extraordinary," said St. Bonaventure Vice President and Director of Athletics Bob Beretta. "For the Athletics Department to post a term grade-point average of just below 3.5 is a testament to the true character of our student-athletes and a tribute to the vast support network provided by our faculty, coaches and staff."
A total of 18 of Bona's 19 Division I programs recorded a team GPA of higher than 3.0 during the semester while 12 surpassed 3.50. The highest achievers were women's tennis (3.80), women's track (3.65), women's cross country (3.64), women's soccer (3.64) and men's soccer (3.61).
Bonnies traditionally are high achievers in the classroom: This marks the 41st consecutive semester where the department has posted a GPA of over 3.0 cumulatively. An impressive 84 percent of current student-athletes own a cumulative GPA of over 3.0 while 55 percent stand at 3.50 or higher for their college career.
"Supporting the academic mission of the University will remain our highest priority, and our student-athletes continue to live that mantra every single day," Beretta added. "I'd like to thank our staff, coaches, and of course, our tremendous faculty, for all they do to assist in our student-athletes' pursuit of comprehensive excellence."
