By: Ryan Hartwig (@RyanHartwig)
GreenBayPhoenix.com
Academic Coordinator Mike Kline talks about another successful semester in the classroom
GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - The spring
semester of 2012 marked perhaps the most impressive one in a long run of
academic success by UW-Green Bay student-athletes. Green Bay Athletics, which
graduated 41 student-athletes in May, posted a record-high 3.27 cumulative
grade-point average, making it the 25th-straight semester with a 3.0 GPA or
better.
"Success and achievement in athletics in many cases are
defined by numbers, be it statistics, wins and losses, or milestones. This is one
of the statistics and milestones within our athletics department that we are
most proud of," Green Bay Director of Athletics Ken Bothof said.
"Getting to 25-straight semesters with a 3.0 or higher GPA is a testament to
the hard work of a lot of people, including Academic Coordinator Mike Kline,
the UW-Green Bay faculty, our coaches and staff, academic advisors and tutors,
and mentor Darrell Patterson. Most of all, it is a testament to the
character, hard word and commitment of our student-athletes and the pride they
have in their academic success."
Thirteen of the school's 16 sports achieved a 3.2 or
better, while nine posted a team GPA of 3.3 or higher. More than 83 percent of
all student-athletes (187) were above a 3.0, while an astounding 27 posted a perfect
4.0 GPA. In addition, 93 Phoenix student-athletes (41 percent) received
academic honors for earning a 3.5 or better.
Leading the way was women's basketball, which posted an
impressive 3.71 team GPA. It marked the 31st-consecutive semester in which the
team achieved a 3.0 or higher.
Women's tennis also continued an impressive streak of
success in the classroom, earning above a 3.0 for the 34th-straight semester
with a 3.64 GPA. Men's tennis was the top men's squad, combining for a 3.48,
while women's volleyball notched its 25th-consecutive semester with a 3.0 or
higher by posting a 3.44.
Kline's men's and women's cross country teams were both
in the top six, as the women earned a 3.45 team GPA and the men recorded a
3.39.
The record-setting GPA comes on the heels of the school's
most successful fall semester, as Phoenix student-athletes combined for a 3.20
in the fall of 2011. The previous department high came in the spring of 2003
when the department registered a 3.25 cumulative GPA.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS - Green Bay Athletics graduated
41 student-athletes in the spring semester of 2012, with many of them receiving
individual university awards. Five Phoenix student-athletes were awarded the
Chancellor's Medallion, while four earned University Leadership awards.
Chancellor's Medallions are given to graduating seniors
who sustained academic and community achievement over their careers at UW-Green
Bay. Green Bay student-athletes earning Chancellor's Medallions were men's
swimmer Dustin Dietrich (Kiel, Wis.), women's Nordic skier Lindsey Marshall (Shoreview, Minn.), women's basketball players Hannah Quilling
(Eau Claire, Wis.) and Julie Wojta (Francis Creek, Wis.) and men's cross
country runner Karl Weyenberg (Wrightstown, Wis.).
Picking up University Leadership awards were women's
soccer players Corey Arno (Winneconne, Wis.) and Maddie Drusch
(Appleton, Wis.), women's golfer Ellyn Hansen (Milton, Wis.) and women's
cross country runner Areanna Lakowske (Sparta, Wis.).
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