Fresno State Athletics
Bulldog GPAs on the Rise
1/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 30, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - As Fresno State athletics champions a new era in Bulldog sports, signs that improvements are being made can once again be seen in the improved grade point averages (GPAs) for student-athletes.
Plenty of teams improved GPAs from the previous fall semester. The seven-time WAC Champion Bulldog women's tennis team continues to lead the way with a 3.43 GPA. It marked the third straight year they have led the department in team GPA.
As a whole, the combined GPA for all student-athletes rose to a 2.95 from a 2.91 in the fall of 2007 and eight of 14 teams improved.
The biggest improvement came in the men's basketball program. Under Steve Cleveland's guidance, the Bulldogs have made great strides in the classroom. The team GPA jumped to a 2.86, up from a 2.296 in the fall of 2007. Eight Bulldog student-athletes had a GPA of 3.0 or better, five more than accomplished that in the fall of 2007.
"I'm very proud of the young men in our program who have bought into what we stand for as a program and have taken getting their education a top priority," said Cleveland. "We want a program that is going to graduate players, win games on the court and represent our community with class. We have an outstanding group of young men who are committed to that."
The national champion Bulldog baseball team also saw improvements with a 2.96 GPA and 19 student-athletes earning a 3.0 or better. The baseball team accomplished that by earning the highest number of units, an average of 16.92 per student-athlete, of any team in the fall semester. National coach of the Year Mike Batesole had six of his players graduate last year.
The Bulldog football team also showed improvements in the classroom, as the team GPA improved to a 2.69 with a total of 42 Bulldogs posting a 3.0 GPA or better. Compared to 2007, the Dogs GPA was 2.62 , 39 players with a 3.0 GPA. The Dogs have a strong Academic Progress Rate, one of the best in the western United States for public institutions. This is a dramatic improvement in the Pat Hill era, as the Bulldog football team had the nation's worst graduation rate upon his arrival.
Other sports that posted a 3.0 GPA or better were: Equestrian (3.14), men's golf (3.08), women's golf (3.04), lacrosse (3.17), soccer (3.10), swimming & diving (3.10), men's tennis (3.43) and volleyball (3.08).
Of the six teams that didn't meet their 2007 Fall GPA scores, those slips were all minimal. Of those teams that slipped, five still maintained a 3.0 GPA or better.
The Fresno State athletics department does not release GPAs of individual student-athletes.
Fresno State Team Grade Point Averages for Fall 2008
*Baseball (2.96)
*Men's Basketball (2.86)
Women's Basketball (2.81)
*Equestrian (3.14)
*Football (2.69)
Men's Golf (3.08)
Women's Golf (3.04)
#-Lacrosse (3.17)
Soccer (3.10)
*Softball (2.88)
#-Swimming & Diving (3.10)
*Men's Tennis (3.43)
Women's Tennis (3.43)
*Men's Track & Field/Cross Country (2.84)
*Women's Track & Field/Cross Country (2.99)
Volleyball (3.08)
*-Improved from 2007 Fall Semester scores.
#-First year programs, no 2007 data available.
Join the State - Fresno State! The `Dogs close out January in the Save Mart Center on Saturday, January 31 as they host Utah State at 7:00 pm. It's Fresno Unified School District Night as well as the American Heart Association Go Red for Women Weekend. Tickets are on sale now through the Save Mart Center box office, by calling (559) 485-TIXS or online at ticketmaster.com.
