Bulls extend program record to 18 straight semesters with Department Term GPA over 3.0;
Post Record 87% Graduation Success Rate
Record 338 student-athletes earn Athletics Honor Roll Recognition;
3.30 Department Fall Term GPA is second-highest on record;
17 of 18 programs earned a Term GPA over 3.0;
TAMPA, JAN. 5, 2024 – University of South Florida student-athletes posted the second highest department term grade-point average on record and a record 353 Athletics Honor Roll recipients in the fall to extended USF Athletics’ record streak of the department GPA over 3.0 to 18 consecutive semesters and nine years (since the spring of 2015) after the recently completed 2023 fall term.
The Bulls also logged a record 87 percent Graduation Success Rate, encompassing USF scholarship student-athletes that entered school from 2013-16 and graduated within a six-year period. The score eclipsed the program-record of 86 percent posted in 2016 and was fueled by a record six programs that posted a perfect 100 percent GSR.
Earning perfect GSR scores for the Bulls were men’s basketball, men’s tennis, women’s basketball, women’s golf, women’s soccer and softball. All USF women’s sports earned a GSR of 88 percent of better. USF has posted a GSR over 82 percent or better for 10 straight years.
USF saw a record 338 student-athletes earn Athletics Honor Roll recognition following the fall semester and 17 of 18 programs post a term GPA over 3.0, as USF Athletics’ overall GPA for nearly 500 student-athletes for the fall term checked in at 3.30, the second-highest on record behind only a 2020 semester affected by adjustments to the COVID-19 pandemic.
USF also saw 16 of 18 programs maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better and the cumulative GPA for Athletics moved up to 3.23 from 3.18 in last spring.
Over 72 percent of USF student-athletes earned a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher following the 2023 fall term, while 184 (36.36 %) had over a 3.50 and 17 posted a 4.00. The Bulls saw 43 student-athletes earn a 4.0 GPA in the fall semester.
USF’s men’s programs averaged a 3.07 cumulative GPA, while the women’s programs posted a 3.47 cumulative GPA. USF celebrated 26 student-athletes that earned their degree in the fall, making more than 600 to have done so since 2016-17.
“Success in the classroom, graduating student-athletes and supporting their achievements and preparation for a fulfilling career and service to their community remains at the core of our mission.” Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly said. “I am very proud of our student-athletes continued strong performance and commitment to academics and our talented academics staff that mentor and provide outstanding support.”
Head coach Alex Golesh’s football program contributed to the record Honor Roll recipients with a program record 60 honorees, after logging 41 in the 2022 fall semester. Close behind in the fall were women’s track and field/cross country (34), baseball (34), men’s soccer (28), softball (27), women’s soccer (27), men’s track and field/cross country (23), women’s lacrosse (22), sailing (17), volleyball (16) and women’s basketball (12) among the teams with 10 or more honorees.
The women’s golf program, led by head coach Erika Brennan, led all teams with a 3.67 fall term GPA while boasting eight members, the entire roster, earning Honor Roll recognition. Women’s tennis led all programs with a 3.64 cumulative GPA. The men’s tennis program, led by head coach Ashley Fisher, led all men’s programs with a 3.56 fall term GPA and boasted nine Honor Roll members while also posting the highest men’s cumulative GPA with a 3.48.
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics currently sponsors 21 varsity men’s and women’s teams that compete in 13 different sports, 20 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, including the recent additions of women’s lacrosse and women’s beach volleyball. The Bulls’ athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 58th season in 2023-24. More than 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. USF garnered two national championships in 2022-23 as Romaine Beckford won NCAA indoor and outdoor high jump titles. The Bulls have claimed 28 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013 and own 142 conference titles claimed in 15 sports in department history, led by 20 each for men’s tennis and men’s soccer. USF has claimed 76 men’s conference championships and 66 women’s titles, led by 14 in women’s tennis and 12 in volleyball. The Bulls have posted a combined annual grade-point average for a program record of 18 straight as of fall 2023. USF has had over 600 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
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