FORT MYERS, Fla. – The seventh-annual Hillmyer-Tremont Foundation Academic Honors Luncheon was held inside the Cohen Center Ballroom on the campus of FGCU this afternoon.
 
A total of 58 student-athletes were honored at the luncheon for earning a 3.5 cumulative GPA or above while attending FGCU for at least two semesters, including 17 with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Overall, the Eagles extended their outstanding performance in the classroom overall with an impressive 3.32 cumulative GPA for the fall semester, including a 3.30 term GPA.
 
In fact, for the 13th-consecutive semester, Eagle student-athletes exceeded the FGCU undergraduate semester mark (3.05). On top of that, the 3.32 cumulative GPA fell just short of the 3.33 all-time mark set in the fall of 2013 and spring of 2015. Still, 14 of the Green and Blue's 15 teams earned cumulative and term GPAs greater than 3.0.
 
"We are exceptionally proud of our student-athletes for the exemplary effort they continue to put forth in the classroom, while also succeeding in their competitions and serving as role models throughout Southwest Florida," said Director of Athletics Ken Kavanagh. "Their devotion to excellence is a source of pride for not only FGCU Athletics, but for the entire University. Likewise, we continue to be very appreciative of the tremendous roles that our outstanding faculty, Kelly Jean Brock and our academic advisors, as well as our coaching staffs, play in the overall equation."
 
During the luncheon, FGCU Athletics honored Allison Bacigalupi with the Special Recognition Award, which is presented annually to an individual who has distinguished him or herself by providing a superior level of service and support to student-athletes at FGCU in their pursuit of academic and athletic success.
 
As the director of academic advising, Bacigalupi has continuously gone above and beyond to help all FGCU students to the best of her capabilities. Over the course of nearly a decade, she has been of great assistance to not only countless Eagle student-athletes, but as a colleague to the Athletics staff. In particular, she has been a tremendous contributor of her valuable time and talents as a former member of the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee that is appointed by and reports to President Bradshaw, and on an ad hoc basis numerous times since.
 
Individually, including first-semester student-athletes, 24 individuals finished with a 4.0 GPA for the semester, representing nearly 10 percent of the entire student-athlete body with perfect grades for the term. Among the overall population of 257 student-athletes, 102 (40 percent) achieved a 3.5 or higher term GPA. Leading an impressive term was the women's tennis team as six of the seven-member squad earned better than a 3.5 GPA for the fall, three of whom scored a perfect 4.0.
 
Perfectly embodying success on and off the field, six student-athletes were named to their respective A-Sun all-academic teams in the fall: Miguel Jamie (men's soccer); Brittany Brown, Emma Blackwell and Tabby Tindell (women's soccer); Troy Clark (men's cross country) and Anita Munoz (women's cross country).
 
Furthermore, 80 percent (997) of the 1,241 total grades earned in the fall semester by student-athletes were "B"s or better, including a total of 624 "A"s (50 percent).
 
"The continued academic successes speak to the type of student-athletes our coaches recruit and the expectations they create for them in and out of their competitions," said Brock, Assistant Athletics Director, Director of the Student-Athlete Learning Center. "With support from Undergraduate Studies and the Athletics Department, our student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom and set the bar high for future Eagles."
 
Outstanding achievement on and off the field is nothing new to Eagle student-athletes. In a testament to past athletic success, the Eagles claimed the 2014-15 A-Sun All-Sports Championship for the second time in three years. On the strength of a first-place finish in the women's all-sports race and a second-place showing in the men's all-sports race, FGCU won the Bill Bibb Trophy with 226.5 points out of 303 for an overall percentage of 74.8, just enough to surpass North Florida's 72.8.
 
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 48 conference regular season and tournament titles in just eight-plus full seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just their fifth season of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had 21 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships.

Below are highlights and benchmarks achieved by each team over the course of the fall semester (unless denoted).
 
Baseball: 24 student-athletes earned a GPA of 3.0 or greater.
 
Men's Basketball: Eight student-athletes earned FGCU Athletic Director recognition (3.0 GPA or higher).
 
Men's Cross Country: Eight of nine student-athletes earned above a 3.0 GPA, including five greater than a 3.5 GPA and one 4.0 GPA.
 
Men's Golf: Most improved individual sport term GPA.
 
Men's Soccer: Improved term GPA by .10 and earned a cumulative GPA more than 3.0.
 
Men's Tennis: Every student-athlete earned a GPA of 3.0 or greater.
 
Women's Basketball: Ten student-athletes earned a GPA of 3.5 or greater, including two with perfect 4.0 GPA's.
 
Women's Cross Country: All nine student-athletes on the team carry a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater.
 
Women's Golf: All eight student-athletes earned a GPA of 3.0 or greater, including four with at least a 3.5 GPA and two with perfect 4.0 GPA's.

Women's Soccer: Four student-athletes earned a 4.0 GPA. Fourteen members of the team earned a 3.5 GPA or greater.

Softball: Three student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA.
 
Swimming and Diving: Twenty-eight of 34 student-athletes earned a 3.0 GPA, including three 4.0 GPA's.
 
Women's Tennis: Six student-athletes earned a 3.5 GPA or greater, including three who earned a 4.0 GPA.
 
Beach Volleyball: Eleven of 12 team members earned a 3.0 GPA or greater, including two 4.0 GPA's.

Women's Volleyball: Most improved team term GPA from the spring of 2015 to fall of 2015.  
 
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