Wolverines amassing academic honors

Wolverines have been winning honors are year, not for what they have done on the court or field, but for what they have done in the classroom.

Of the 15 sports programs at UVU, 13 of them had a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.  The two that didn’t make the 3.0 mark had a GPA over 2.5.

Associate Director of Athletics Megan Kennedy doesn’t expect those two programs to stand pat, either.

“We expect them to improve,” Kennedy said.

UVU requires that all student athletes take 15 credit hours a semester.  The NCAA only requires 12. UVU Athletics emphasizes that all student athletes strive for a 3.0 gpa and must continually work towards their degree.

“We make sure to keep them moving forward in their education,” Kennedy said.

It isn’t something recent to happen to UVU athletics.  The university has a long tradition of preparing their student athletes for the future. In each of the last four semesters the athletic department  has combined for a GPA of 3.2 or higher.

Earlier this summer the Pacific Coast Softball Conference Commissioner Ellen Moore announced the 2011 PCSC honor roll, with 14 softball players from UVU making the list.  Meghan Yocom led the team in with a 3.98 GPA.

“The girls always shine,” Kennedy said.

This has been especially true for the women’s basketball team. One year after finishing with the nation’s highest GPA, the Wolverines finished fifth for 2010-11.

UVU men’s baseball team’s Billy Burgess and Cole Mcwhorter were nominated for the Capital One Academic All-District Eight First Team.   Burgess was named UVU’s scholar athlete of the month in April.  Business major McWhorter has a cumulative GPA of 3.92.

UVU men’s wrestling was ranked ninth by the Nationals Wrestling Coaches Association for the second time, and ranking one spot higher then Cornell University.  The team had a combined GPA of 3.13, exceeding the standards that University expects from them.

The Capital One Academic All-America At-Large Team, presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America, announced Flint Ray as a District 8 Second Team selection. This is the second time Ray had made the list.

With the many academic goals UVU Athletics achieves, it’s safe to say the program strives to be second to none.

“We are very proud of our accomplishments,” Kennedy said.