May 21, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky women’s tennis team posted the highest GPA of any UK program for a third consecutive semester, finishing the 2013 spring semester with a team GPA of 3.69.
“I want to congratulate our team for their commitment to excellence, specifically in the classroom again this semester,” UK head coach Carlos Drada said. “I am so excited to see our player’s efforts in the classroom were manifested into the highest GPA in the athletic department this spring. We strive to have the same level of success on the court next year.”
UK’s competing scholarship student-athletes combined for a cumulative grade-point average of 3.14 this spring, the highest for a single semester during Barnhart’s tenure. The record academic semester comes on the heels of a fall semester during which competing scholarship student-athletes combined for a 3.030 GPA.
“When I established the goal of a 3.0 overall GPA for our department, I knew I was setting the bar high,” Barnhart said. “To reach it for an entire athletic year for the first time is an accomplishment our student-athletes should be very proud of. I commend and thank them for their hard work.”
Sixteen of UK’s 20 teams had GPAs of 3.0 or better, led by women’s tennis at 3.69. Four teams joined women’s tennis in posting GPAs higher than 3.5: women’s soccer (3.62), women’s swimming and diving (3.60), women’s cross country (3.59) and women’s golf (3.53). Leading the way for the Wildcat men’s teams was men’s basketball at 3.39.
“I am continually impressed by the way our student-athletes, coaches and staff embrace academics as an important part of our mission,” Barnhart said. “We are identified first by what we do in competition, but we are out to prove an athletic department can excel in all facets.”
The collective achievement this spring has been matched by numerous individual accomplishments as well, as 47 scholarship student-athletes earned a 4.0 this spring semester. In addition, 39 percent of scholarship athletes had GPAs of 3.5 or better and 70 percent were at 3.0 or better. UK also led all Southeastern Conference schools with 57 student-athletes on the league’s Winter Sports Academic Honor Roll.
