Feb. 3, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State Athletics Department accumulated a 3.03 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) in the Fall 2008 semester, marking its seventh-consecutive term above a 2.9. The mark fell just shy of the overall department GPA record, but three other department records were broken in another remarkable semester of academic achievement by the Redbird student-athletes.
The 3.03 GPA by the department is the second-highest ever, falling just shy of the 3.04 GPA from the Fall 2007 semester. The 10 ISU women's programs combined for a record 3.26 GPA, surpassing the old mark of 3.25 from Fall 2007. The seven men's programs compiled a 2.81 GPA, coming close to the record of 2.83, also from the Fall 2007 semester. The athletics department also set records with 253 student-athletes on the AFNI Honor Roll and 43 student-athletes achieving 4.0 GPA's.
The men's tennis team had the highest male GPA with a 3.26, marking the fifth-consecutive semester it has achieved the honor. The men's tennis team set the department male record with a 3.28 GPA in the Spring 2008 semester.
For the fourth time ever and the first time since the Fall 2004 semester, the women's cross country team had the highest GPA of any female team with a 3.55. The mark was the highest for the team since setting a team record with a 3.56 in the Fall 1996 semester. Nine women's programs accumulated a team GPA above a 3.00 and 71 percent of the female student-athletes were on the AFNI Honor Roll.
The Redbird student-athletes also found time to give back to the Bloomington-Normal community, contributing a remarkable 1,553 hours of community service during the semester. Redbird contributions to causes such as the American Red Cross, Heritage Manor Retirement Community and the State Farm "Just Read" program put the department well on its way to a fourth-straight year with more than 2,000 hours of community service.
