FORT MYERS, Fla. -- One of the tenets of being an FGCU student-athlete is pursuing excellence academically. And the Green & Blue's collective efforts in the classroom again more than achieved that goal -- with FGCU's 15 varsity sports generating a record 3.67 term GPA in the fall of 2022 (previous high of 3.5 in the fall of 2020). The results exceeded FGCU's general undergraduate population (3.25) for the 27th consecutive semester.
Even more, that stellar performance increased the Eagles' cumulative GPA -- calculating all FGCU's student-athletes' grades during their collegiate careers into a single number -- to an outstanding best ever 3.57 (previous high of 3.42 in the fall of 2020) compared to 3.21 for FGCU's general undergraduates as a whole.
"We remain extremely proud of the collective accomplishments of the outstanding young men and women who represent us daily," said FGCU Director of Athletics
Ken Kavanagh. "In turn, amidst the trials of the after-effects of Hurricane Ian, they rallied to produce phenomenal individual and team results. This is also a continued testament to our tremendous Hartley Academic Resource Center (HARC) staff, our supportive coaches and the wonderful faculty and academic advisors across campus."
Led by beach volleyball's 3.86, FGCU had seven programs exceed the program's overall 3.67 term GPA. Softball (3.78), women's tennis (3.74), volleyball (3.72) and men's tennis, women's soccer and swimming & diving (3.7) were close behind.
"What is most impressive is the continuation of academic success and academic drive from our student athletes," said
Monica Estes, Interim Director of the Hartley Academic Resource Center. "It seems that every semester is better than the next. We are very fortunate in the HARC to have complete support from coaches, administrative staff and our campus partners."
Several programs posted their highest terms on record. Men's golf posted a 3.55 for head coach
Andrew Danna, men's soccer a 3.47 for head coach
Jesse Cormier and baseball a 3.43 for head coach
Dave Tollett's program. The term GPAs of beach volleyball (head coach
Chris Sweat), softball (head coach
David Deiros), men's tennis (head coach
CJ Weber), volleyball (head coach
Matt Botsford), and swimming & diving (head coach
Dave Rollins) also were all single-term bests.
The cumulative GPAs for beach volleyball (3.75), softball (3.63), swimming & diving (3.58), men's golf (3.48) and men's soccer (3.33) are all the highest in those programs' history.
Every sport had a term GPA of 3.12 or better and all now carry a cumulative GPA of at least 3.17. All but one of the 15 programs saw semester-over-semester GPA gains.
"The overall success of FGCU student athletes in the classroom is a tribute to their dedication to academics and recognition that they're students first," said FGCU Faculty Athletics Representative
Dr. Tom Roberts. "I have the distinct pleasure of constantly witnessing not only their commitment, but that of coaches and all athletic administration."
In all, 51 members of the Green & Blue boasted a perfect 4.0 semester GPAs (minimum 12 graded hours for undergraduates and nine for graduate students) as members of the President's List:4
| Student-Athlete |
Sport |
| LaValley, Carter |
Baseball |
| Place, Dawson |
Baseball |
| Dwyer, Brandon |
Men's Basketball |
| Jackson, Chance |
Men's Basketball |
| Baker, Sam |
Men's Golf |
| Hopkins, Jon |
Men's Golf |
| Bole, Jack |
Men's Soccer |
| Edwards, Ryan |
Men's Soccer |
| Gagliardi II, Anthony |
Men's Soccer |
| Travis, Deon |
Men's Soccer |
| Johnson, Magnus |
Men's Tennis |
| Wilson, Randy |
Men's Tennis |
| Black, Olivia N. |
Softball |
| Chiarella, Emily |
Softball |
| Estes, Caridad |
Softball |
| Hulme, Alexandra |
Softball |
| Leski, Samantha |
Softball |
| Roper, Kayleigh |
Softball |
| Thomas, Abigail |
Softball |
| Viancos, Avery |
Softball |
| Adams, Kierra |
Women's Basketball |
| Carter, Sha |
Women's Basketball |
| Schimmel, Milan |
Women's Basketball |
| Webb, Kaela |
Women's Basketball |
| Carpenter, Jacqueline |
Beach Volleyball |
| Gluc, Kristina |
Beach Volleyball |
| Luebbers, Kaitlyn |
Beach Volleyball |
| Spain, Gabrielle |
Women's Cross Country |
| Wessel, Alison |
Women's Cross Country |
| Bridge, Anna |
Women's Golf |
| Farrelly, Posie |
Women's Golf |
| Wulfers, Leonie |
Women's Golf |
| Bretzer, Eden |
Women's Soccer |
| Dwyer, Lauren |
Women's Soccer |
| Gargiula, Kendal |
Women's Soccer |
| Kauffman, Katelyn |
Women's Soccer |
| Labbe, Ashley |
Women's Soccer |
| Nygren, Nellie |
Women's Soccer |
| Paradis, Grace |
Women's Soccer |
| Russell, Kathryn |
Women's Soccer |
| Scarpelli, Leah |
Women's Soccer |
| Bjoernholdt, Emma |
Swimming/Diving |
| Hettinger, Olivia |
Swimming/Diving |
| Hixenbaugh, Emma |
Swimming/Diving |
| Hogan, Anna |
Swimming/Diving |
| Merton, Emily |
Swimming/Diving |
| Sizemore, Michaela |
Swimming/Diving |
| Glantz, Lola |
Women's Tennis |
| Axner, Dana |
Women's Volleyball |
| Clark, Lauren |
Women's Volleyball |
| Reynolds, Kortney |
Women's Volleyball |
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (
https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (
www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit
https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 94 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 47 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22 and No. 25 in 2022-23) beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as four of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green & Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.67 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2022 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 27 consecutive semesters. The past seven semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
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