CU Student-Athletes Continue Outstanding Academic Success

BOULDER – University of Colorado student-athletes have continued to perform extremely well in the classroom in grade point average statistics compiled by CU's Herbst Academic Center staff, all the while at the same time dealing with the many distractions all CU students have had to concern themselves with over the past two years.

The grade point average for the recently completed fall 2021 semester for 385 CU student-athletes was 3.117, the second-best fall semester GPA on record.  That help boost the cumulative grade point average to 3.110, the fourth straight semester above a 3.0.  And also for the fourth straight semester, 13 of CU's 15 programs (indoor and outdoor track count as one) owned cumulative GPA's of 3.0 or higher.  

The academic staff started charting these numbers in the spring of 1996.

For the fourth straight semester, all CU students continued to face challenges due to the COVID pandemic, including classes often in hybrid from between being held in-person or remotely.  CU suffered minimal COVID cases during the 2020-21 academic year, but with the variants more were affected during the fall term, simultaneously with NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) coming into play.  But as always, CU's Herbst Academic Center staff once again did an incredible job aiding the students in balancing their athletic and academic responsibilities.

"Our student-athletes have continued to shine in the classroom despite all the distractions they have had to encounter over the last two years," athletic director Rick George said.  "I am proud that as a group that they have consistently posted impressive numbers, they have also continually improved on those as well.  It is a team effort between our Herbst Academic staff, our coaches and our student-athletes, and I also should commend the university faculty members for all they have had to endure in this same period of time."

"We have worked hard to create a culture that includes expectations of academic success," said Kris Livingston, CU's executive senior associate athletic director for student success.  'Rick George expects it, our coaches expect it, and the Herbst Academic Center staff expects it.  Our student-athletes are great competitors, and they compete in the classroom just as much as they compete in their sport."

It marked the 15th straight semester dating back to the fall '14 term for the grade point to exceed 2.9 (which had happened just once prior).  The men's track and field team members recorded their best grade point for a semester, spring or fall, with a 3.111 mark; three other teams logged their best-ever averages for a fall term: men's cross country (3.354), men's golf (3.194) and football (2.833).

For the fall term, 29 student-athletes owned 4.00 grade point averages, with 137 owning 3.5 or higher GPA's (36 percent).  Of the 385 student-athletes overall, 238 athletes came in at 3.0 or better and overall (62 percent) with 80 percent (309) logged in at 2.5 or higher.  Cumulatively speaking, the second-highest percentage was recorded for those with grade points of 3.5-plus (119, or 31 percent) and the third-highest for those at the 3.0 level (236, 61 percent) and for those at 2.5 or better (324, or 84 percent).  

The 3.500 term grade point recorded by the 25 members of the women's cross country team and the 17 athletes on the men's ski team topped all programs in the fall, the first time there has been a tie for the honor for the fall semester.  The women's harriers have now posted a 3.5 or better number for six of the last eight semesters, while the skiers have achieved that mark or better five straight terms.

Other impressive numbers include:

• Twelve of 15 programs own cumulative GPA's of 3.0 or better, with two others between 2.92 and 2.99;
• Thirteen had term grade points of 3.10 or higher, with men's basketball (2.85) posting its fourth-best fall number and football (2.833) its best average for any fall term over the last 26 years;The women's ski team enjoyed its 41st semester in succession with a GPA of at least 3.0, including 20 straight terms of 3.3 or higher; they have been 3.0 or better in 50 of 51 semesters dating
• back to 1996;
• The women's cross country team now has 35 straight semesters with a 3.0 or better (and in 48 of 51 semesters);
• Four other programs have semester streaks of 3.0 or better in the twenties: women's soccer (26), women's track and field (26), women's golf (23) and men's skiing (23). 
• CU's youngest program, women's lacrosse (competing for the first time in 2014), opened with two semesters just under 3.0 but have since recorded 15 in a row.

Other accomplishments from the fall also included:

• Nine students who graduated between Sept. 1, 2020 and Aug. 31, 2021 were honored with the prestigious 1A FAR Academic Award, presented to those with a 3.80 or above undergraduate GPA and participation in at least two years at an FBS institution.  Those recognized were: Victor Bjorlow (golf), Eliza Cahill and Libby Geraghty and Hannah Sharts (soccer), Sage Hurta, Caleb Penner and Valerie Welch (track and field), Elle Otten (golf) and Joey Young (skiing);
• A total of 16 student-athletes across all sports earned their degrees in December;
• The Pac-12 Fall Honor Roll is due for release this week, with CU submitting 62 student-athletes for the honor, led by 17 members of the women's cross country team; cumulative GPA's of 3.3 and one year in residence are required to be named on the list;
• The USTFCCCA placed four Buffaloes on it All-Academic teams: Brendan Fraser and Alec Hornecker were named to the men's team, while India Johnson and Abby Nichols made the women's team.  Both the men's and women's cross country teams were recognized with the organization's team honors.
• A school record 30 football players qualified for the NFF/Colorado Chapter's Academic All-Colorado team, including 16 first-team members who owned cumulative grade points of 3.3 or higher (true freshmen are eligible if they participated in games).  Sophomore outside linebacker Joshka Gustav (3.66 GPA in Psychology) is CU's nomination for the chapter's scholar athlete of the year, which will be awarded in April.

A closer look at team-by-team grade point averages: