FORT MYERS, Fla. – The ninth-annual Hillmyer-Tremont Foundation Academic Honors Luncheon was held inside the Cohen Center Ballroom on the campus of FGCU this afternoon.
 
A total of 64 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 18 with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Overall, the Eagles extended their outstanding performance in the classroom with an impressive 3.25 cumulative GPA and a 3.27 term GPA in the fall semester.
 
Eagle student-athletes exceeded the FGCU undergraduate semester mark (3.06) for the 17th-consecutive semester. All totaled, a record-tying 14 of the Green and Blue's 15 teams earned cumulative GPAs greater than 3.0 for the fall, nine clubs posted GPAs of at least 3.3 and an incredible five had at least a 3.5.
 
"We are exceptionally proud of our student-athletes for the outstanding efforts 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. "It's also a strong testament to our student-athletes that they can produce these academic results while also earning several more conference championships. 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 staff, as well as our coaches and donors play in the overall equation."
 
During the luncheon, FGCU Athletics honored Mike and Karen Hartley with the Special Recognition Award, which is presented annually to an individual(s) 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.
 
Extremely successful in their own personal lives, the Hartley's have adopted FGCU Athletics as one of their primary causes, which the department is extremely grateful for. In doing so, they have become tremendous mentors for some of our Eagles through their extreme generosity. Furthermore, they are not only members of the annual Eagles Scholarship Society, but also provided the resources that allowed the creation of the fantastic new Hartley Academic Resource Center – a significant elevation in the daily capabilities for Kelly Brock and her dedicated staff to serve our student-athletes. Likewise, it has quickly become a great addition in the recruitment efforts for all FGCU coaches.
 
Highlighting the team accolades was women's tennis with a 3.88 – the highest cumulative GPA in FGCU Athletics' history. Women's soccer had the highest team sport cumulative GPA with a 3.52.
 
The most improved team sport GPA from last spring to this past fall was softball with a term increase of 0.23 – going from a 3.17 to a 3.40. The most improved individual sport GPA went to men's cross country with a term jump of 0.38 – going from a 2.83 to a 3.21.
 
Individually, 33 student-athletes finished with a 4.0 GPA for the semester, representing 13 percent of the entire student-athlete body named to the President's List with perfect grades for the term. Among the overall population of 252 student-athletes, 113 (45 percent) made the Dean's List (3.5+) and 173 (69 percent) landed on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (3.0+).
 
Perfectly embodying success in and out of competitions, four student-athletes were named to their respective ASUN All-Academic teams in the fall: Amanda Carroll (volleyball; Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year), Maggie Rick (volleyball), Ashley Parks (women's soccer) and Lindsey Patton (women's soccer).
 
"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 achievements academically and athletically is nothing new to Eagle student-athletes. In a testament to past athletic successes, the Eagles have won the ASUN All-Sports Championship four of the last five years, including three in a row and currently lead again in 2017-18 after the conclusion of winter sports slates.
 
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 68 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 10+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just 6+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had 32 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships (including an upcoming appearance for swimming).
 
The following are highlights and benchmarks achieved by select teams over the course of the fall semester (unless denoted):
 
Women's Tennis – Earned the 2nd-highest term GPA (3.86 – runner up to women's golf's 3.92 in Spring 2014); five of its nine student-athletes earned 4.0s.
 
Men's Cross Country – Earned the highest cumulative GPA in program history (3.51).
 
Women's Cross Country – Tied the highest cumulative GPA in program history (3.58).
 
Men's Golf – Earned the highest term and cumulative GPA in program history (3.33/3.19).
 
Men's Soccer – Tied the highest term GPA in program history (3.2).
 
The aforementioned teams and individuals with a cumulative 3.5+ GPA over at least two FGCU semesters were recognized for their outstanding academic successes.

ABOUT FGCU
Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best 6th-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. FGCU also collectively earned a 3.27 GPA in the classroom and served an all-time high 7,200+ volunteer hours – being recognized as one of two runner-ups for the inaugural NACAD Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
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