General 7/30/2012 5:27:00 PM

OCU women's track leads NAIA academically

Stars post highest GPA among NAIA scholar-athlete teams

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University's women's track team paced the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics scholar team award winners with a 4.07 combined cumulative grade-point average, topping 741 teams honored.
Ten Stars squads earned recognition as scholar teams from the NAIA. Among those teams were OCU's national championship women's basketball team and national runner-up softball team.
OCU's women's basketball men's and women's cross country, women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's track and volleyball teams each achieved a combined 3.0 grade-point average as defined by the university and including all varsity athletes certified as eligible.
OCU's women's cross country team ranked fourth among the NAIA scholar teams.
“Oklahoma City University is a great academic institution,” OCU cross country/track coach Conor Holt said. “The environment here creates this kind of opportunity for athletes. The administration and the faculty support our goals of having strong academic and athletic achievements.
“You can succeed both on and off the field as an OCU student-athlete. Our 2012-13 recruiting class is rounding out nicely, and we look forward to reaching towards the standards that have been established here academically.”
The Stars' teams earning acclaim as NAIA scholar teams and their combined GPAs:
• Women's track, 4.07
• Women's cross country, 3.91
• Men's soccer, 3.47
• Women's golf, 3.40
• Men's cross country, 3.33
• Men's soccer, 3.26
• Volleyball, 3.19
• Softball, 3.18
• Women's basketball, 3.09
• Women's soccer, 3.08
OCU's other programs who maintained a 3.0 team GPA:
• Canoe/Kayak, 3.69
• Pom/dance, 3.54
• Women's rowing, 3.25
• Cheerleading, 3.17
• Men's rowing, 3.04
OCU student-athletes achieved an overall grade-point average of 3.12 for 2011-12. A total of 183 student-athletes completed the school year with a 3.0 GPA or better. Of those student-athletes, 98 achieved a 3.5 or better GPA, while 50 had a GPA of 3.75 or better.
Stars athletes have put together a 3.0 combined GPA nine consecutive years while keeping OCU in the top 15 among the NAIA in the Director's Cup standings the past 15 years.
The Stars captured an all-time high five national championships in women's basketball, men's golf, women's wrestling and two in cheerleading this past season. OCU finished 13th in the NAIA Director's Cup standings. OCU has won 46 national titles in all sports.
Academic achievements earned by OCU student-athletes in 2011-12:
• Two-time college-division academic all-American baseball player Chad Carman – bringing OCU's two-time academic all-Americans to seven. Achieved 3.30 or better cumulative GPA and as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America.
• Lauren Haymans and Brenna Skillern in women's soccer, Michael Palmer in men's golf, Andrew Pontikes in wrestling, Shantel Wagner in women's rowing and A.J. Woodward in softball became OCU's other CoSIDA academic all-Americans this season. OCU has the most CoSIDA academic all-Americans among NAIA institutions all time.
• Fifteen Stars selected CoSIDA academic all-district – Carman and Brian Fisher in baseball, Haymans, Skillern, Sheridan Horner, Alissa Reed in women's soccer, Palmer of men's golf, Woodward and Katie Proffitt in softball, Wagner of women's rowing, Nathan Doll, Drew Hall and Ryan Hunter of men's soccer and Madison Haley and Mary Larsh in women's golf. All-district picks were selected by vote from district sports information directors among nominees with 3.30 minimum GPAs. First-team all-district picks were considered for all-American status.
• Nineteen NAIA scholar-athlete award winners who achieved 3.50 or better cumulative grade-point average.
• Pontikes became a four-time NWCA all-academic choice. Pontikes' teammates Michael Brown and Gage Harrison joined him as NWCA all-academic selections. OCU won an NWCA all-academic team award.
• OCU's Tessa Plana and each earned Women's College Wrestling Association scholar-athlete awards by achieving a 3.5 or better overall GPA. OCU also won a WCWA all-academic team award.
To see the complete list of NAIA scholar teams, click here.

Print Friendly Version