TicketsCINCINNATI – While daily life, including sports, was thrust into uncertain times, one thing remained constant within the University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics: record-breaking academic performances. For the 24th grading period in a row, the Bearcats collectively tallied a 3.0 or higher cumulative grade-point average (GPA), posting a record-breaking 3.396 GPA for the Spring 2020 semester.
"I am so proud of everyone's resilience as well as the tenacity our students showed," Dr. Joe Luckey, Senior Associate AD for Student-Athlete Academic Services (SASS), said. "The coaches were incredible in their support of their students and their desire to keep them engaged and really looked out for their welfare. That is the true story. Yes, we are very proud of the record GPA and the fact six teams set team records in the spring. We are releasing academic data based on actual letter grades (this is before students had the option to take a P grade for anything that was a C- grade or higher). The greatest piece is the singular focus for 39 days to continue to support our student-athletes at the highest level and they certainly delivered."
Overall, 16 of the school's 17 programs recorded a team GPA of 3.0 or higher while 11 sported a cumulative 3.4 GPA or better and 10 were above a 3.5. Women's Golf, led by Head Coach Janet Carl, posted the highest GPA of all teams on campus with their remarkable 3.906 GPA while Men's Cross Country, led by Associate Head Coach Sam Burroughs, led all men's teams with their 3.691 GPA.
Along with the record departmental GPA, six programs achieved their highest marks as well, led by Women's Golf (3.906). Joining the golfers with record marks were Tennis (Eric Toth) at 3.798; Lacrosse (Gina Thomas) at 3.716; Women's Basketball (Michelle Clark-Heard) at 3.602; Women's Track & Field (Susan Seaton) at 3.555; and Men's Swimming & Diving (Mandy Common-DiSalle) at 3.410. To add to it, three of those teams earned hardware at the end of their seasons, including Women's Basketball, the AAC regular-season runners-up and AAC Championship finalist for the first time in 17 years; Men's Swimming & Diving finished as the runners-up at the AAC Championships; and Women's Track & Field took second place at the AAC Indoor Championships, earning their fourth Top 2 finish in as many years at the indoor meet.
Individually, a record-breaking 68 Bearcats posted perfect 4.0 GPAs this Spring to earn TopCat distinction. The previous record was set this past Fall when 54 posted perfect marks. Added to it, the Cheer and Dance teams both saw four of its members earn TopCat honors as well by posting 4.0 GPAs. Overall, 326 student-athletes (76% of all Bearcats) posted a 3.0 or higher GPA, just one percentage point off the single-semester record, while 243 student-athletes (56%) earned placement on the Dean's List with a 3.4 or higher GPA.
// BY THE NUMBERS
// TOPCATS (4.0 SEMESTER GPA)
"I am so proud of everyone's resilience as well as the tenacity our students showed," Dr. Joe Luckey, Senior Associate AD for Student-Athlete Academic Services (SASS), said. "The coaches were incredible in their support of their students and their desire to keep them engaged and really looked out for their welfare. That is the true story. Yes, we are very proud of the record GPA and the fact six teams set team records in the spring. We are releasing academic data based on actual letter grades (this is before students had the option to take a P grade for anything that was a C- grade or higher). The greatest piece is the singular focus for 39 days to continue to support our student-athletes at the highest level and they certainly delivered."
Overall, 16 of the school's 17 programs recorded a team GPA of 3.0 or higher while 11 sported a cumulative 3.4 GPA or better and 10 were above a 3.5. Women's Golf, led by Head Coach Janet Carl, posted the highest GPA of all teams on campus with their remarkable 3.906 GPA while Men's Cross Country, led by Associate Head Coach Sam Burroughs, led all men's teams with their 3.691 GPA.
Along with the record departmental GPA, six programs achieved their highest marks as well, led by Women's Golf (3.906). Joining the golfers with record marks were Tennis (Eric Toth) at 3.798; Lacrosse (Gina Thomas) at 3.716; Women's Basketball (Michelle Clark-Heard) at 3.602; Women's Track & Field (Susan Seaton) at 3.555; and Men's Swimming & Diving (Mandy Common-DiSalle) at 3.410. To add to it, three of those teams earned hardware at the end of their seasons, including Women's Basketball, the AAC regular-season runners-up and AAC Championship finalist for the first time in 17 years; Men's Swimming & Diving finished as the runners-up at the AAC Championships; and Women's Track & Field took second place at the AAC Indoor Championships, earning their fourth Top 2 finish in as many years at the indoor meet.
Individually, a record-breaking 68 Bearcats posted perfect 4.0 GPAs this Spring to earn TopCat distinction. The previous record was set this past Fall when 54 posted perfect marks. Added to it, the Cheer and Dance teams both saw four of its members earn TopCat honors as well by posting 4.0 GPAs. Overall, 326 student-athletes (76% of all Bearcats) posted a 3.0 or higher GPA, just one percentage point off the single-semester record, while 243 student-athletes (56%) earned placement on the Dean's List with a 3.4 or higher GPA.
// BY THE NUMBERS
| Program | 3.0+ | 3.4+ | 4.0 |
| Baseball | 25 | 19 | 5 |
| Basketball, M | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Basketball, W | 15 | 10 | 2 |
| Cross Country, M | 8 | 6 | 3 |
| Cross Country, W | 12 | 11 | 3 |
| Football | 61 | 32 | 5 |
| Golf, M | 7 | 5 | 1 |
| Golf, W | 7 | 7 | 3 |
| Lacrosse | 34 | 29 | 7 |
| Soccer, M | 14 | 9 | 3 |
| Soccer, W | 29 | 25 | 10 |
| Swim & Dive, M | 22 | 17 | 5 |
| Swim & Dive, W | 25 | 21 | 10 |
| Tennis | 9 | 8 | 2 |
| Track & Field, M | 27 | 19 | 4 |
| Track & Field, W | 31 | 28 | 9 |
| Volleyball | 13 | 12 | 2 |
// TOPCATS (4.0 SEMESTER GPA)
| Dondrae Bremner Baseball |
Wyatt Geesaman Baseball |
Jeremy Johnson Baseball |
Griffin Merritt Baseball |
Nate Meyer Baseball |
Antoinette Miller Basketball, Women |
| Angel Rizor Basketball, Women |
Blake Bacevich Football |
Ben Bryant Football |
Harrison Hill Football |
Jack Perry Football |
James Smith Football |
| Sam Jean Golf, Men |
Alyssa Burritt Golf, Women |
Paighton Masterson Golf, Women |
Natalia Sompolvorachai Golf, Women |
Alyssa Adams Lacrosse |
Monica Borzillo Lacrosse |
| Amanda Fess Lacrosse |
Kylie Nause Lacrosse |
Anna Platou Lacrosse |
Gianna Pope Lacrosse |
Emily Wurzel Lacrosse |
Zach Powell Soccer, Men |
| Mason Volker Soccer, Men |
Ben Wendell Soccer, Men |
Ashley Barron Soccer, Women |
Sydney Goins Soccer, Women |
Sophie Gorman Soccer, Women |
Libby Greenwell Soccer, Women |
| Madison Less Soccer, Women |
Annie Metzger Soccer, Women |
Alli Pestaina Soccer, Women |
Karli Royer Soccer, Women |
Ally Sidloski Soccer, Women |
Ying Zhan Soccer, Women |
| Tyler Jones Swim/Dive, Men |
Murat Sagdullaev Swim/Dive, Men |
Spencer Sehlhorst Swim/Dive, Men |
Din Selmanovic Swim/Dive, Men |
Noah Smith Swim/Dive, Men |
Audrey Capannari Swim/Dive, Women |
| Maddie Exton Swim/Dive, Women |
Claire Farrell Swim/Dive, Women |
Abby Johnston Swim/Dive, Women |
Simone Palomo Swim/Dive, Women |
Tricia Roscoe Swim/Dive, Women |
Olivia Schmelzer Swim/Dive, Women |
| Claire Schuermann Swim/Dive, Women |
Grace Seibert Swim/Dive, Women |
Camryn Streid Swim/Dive, Women |
Alexia Coutino Tennis |
Emma Miceli Tennis |
Aaron Bienenfeld TF/XC, Men |
| Jonathan Harley TF/XC, Men |
Danny Jones Track & Field, Men |
Tyler Wirth TF/XC, Men |
Lily Bunse Track & Field, Women |
Jen Cooper TF/XC, Women |
Carmela Henning TF/XC, Women |
| Angelica Lightfoot Track & Field, Women |
Calista Manns Track & Field, Women |
Sam Mikula TF/XC, Women |
Irati Mitxelena Track & Field, Women |
Jane Sensibaugh Track & Field |
Sydney Spears Track & Field |
| Damjana Cabarkapa Volleyball |
Karoline Fauske Volleyball |