Appalachian student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom

View larger image — Mountaineer student-athletes wearing their Sun Belt Conference medallions pose at the 2016 commencement ceremony in Appalachian’s Holmes Convocation Center. Photo by Marie Freeman

By Appalachian State University Athletics

Posted Feb. 5, 2018 at 5:16 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Since its 2014-15 transition to the Sun Belt Conference for all but two sports (wrestling and field hockey), Appalachian State University has paced the league in academic performance among its student-athletes.

Last fall, Appalachian Athletics posted its 11th consecutive semester with a grade point average above 3.0 for Mountaineer student-athletes.

The 2017 fall semester GPA was 3.07 for all of athletics, contributing to a cumulative GPA of 3.10 for Appalachian student-athletes. These student-athletes are among the 10,740 (63.6 percent) Appalachian undergraduate students who achieved a 3.0 or higher GPA for the fall 2017 semester, and the 10,840 students who earned a cumulative fall 2017 GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Thirteen Appalachian teams had a semester GPA above 3.0, and 13 teams have maintained a cumulative GPA above 3.0. A total of 22 student-athletes recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA for the fall semester.

Additionally, 297 student-athletes made Appalachian Athletics’ academic honor roll, an achievement that requires a minimum GPA of 3.25 while being enrolled in at least 12 hours of coursework.

The Appalachian’s women’s cross country team earned a semester GPA of 3.59 and a cumulative GPA of 3.53, ranking it first among women’s sports teams at Appalachian. The men’s cross country team attained the highest semester GPA among men’s sports with a 3.39, and men’s golf led the way with a 3.26 cumulative GPA.

In 2017, Appalachian won the Sun Belt Institutional Graduation Rate Award for the second time in three years. The Mountaineers led the league with 237 combined student-athletes on the 2016-17 Sun Belt Commissioner's List (3.5 or higher GPA) or Academic Honor Roll (3.0-3.49 GPA).

The top three performing teams for overall fall 2017 GPA were Appalachian’s women’s cross country, women’s soccer and women’s tennis.

About Mountaineer Athletics

More than 400 student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division I varsity sports at Appalachian State University. App State’s nationally ranked football team has enjoyed unprecedented success at the highest level of Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision), with six bowl wins in its first six years at the FBS level and four Sun Belt Conference championships. The Mountaineers were a dominant force in the Southern Conference for more than 40 years before moving up to the Sun Belt Conference in 2014. App State student-athletes in all sports pursue daily comprehensive excellence in academics, competition and community involvement. All varsity teams compete in the Sun Belt Conference, except for field hockey (MAC) and wrestling (SoCon). Learn more at https://appstatesports.com.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 20,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.