TOWSON, Md. ? Student-athletes at Towson University compiled a 3.056 cumulative grade point average during the Fall, 2009 semester as they topped the 3.00 mark for the second semester in a row, according to Director of Athletics Mike Hermann.
In addition, 13 of the Tigers? 20 intercollegiate teams had semester G.P.A.?s over 3.00 while two other teams fell just short.
?I give a tremendous amount of credit to our student-athletes, who successfully balance the requirements of the academic rigor at Towson with the commitment to our Division I athletics program,? says Hermann. ?Fortunately, at Towson, we have an outstanding faculty that works cooperatively with our student-athletes to enable them to be successful in both the classroom and field of competition. We also have a coaching staff and an academic services staff that provides a culture in our program that students are expected to achieve academically.?
The Tiger cross country team, coached by Roger Erricker, had the highest G.P.A. for the semester with a 3.556 mark. Junior Brandi Gervais (Waynesville H.S./Churchville, Md.) and sophomore Erika Griffith (Lenape H.S./Mt. Laurel, N.J.) had outstanding semesters for the cross country squad as each of them had a 4.00 G.P.A.
They were two of 12 student-athletes who had perfect 4.0 G.P.A.?s.
?We take a lot of pride in our academic work,? says Erricker, who also coaches the Tigers? indoor and outdoor track teams. ?Our teams enjoy being the best team on campus academically so there is some peer pressure involved. The young ladies on our team let any newcomers know that this is how we do things. It?s a great tradition we?ve created and we want to keep it going.?
The women?s soccer team had the second-highest G.P.A. with a 3.510 mark while the women?s swimming and diving team (3.371) was third. The Tiger indoor (3.375) and outdoor (3.366) track teams, also coached by Erricker, were fourth and fifth.
Coach Brian Yaniger?s women?s golf team was ranked sixth with a 3.358 G.P.A. while the field hockey team was seventh (3.347). The two-time defending Colonial Athletic Association champion women?s lacrosse team placed eighth with a 3.322 G.P.A. while the women?s tennis team (3.211) was ninth.
Coach Dick Filbert?s five-time ECAC champion gymnastics team was ranked tenth with a 3.098 G.P.A. while the men?s swimming and diving team (3.086) was 11th.
The Tiger men?s golf team, which is also coached by Yaniger, tied for 12th place with the volleyball team. Each team posted a 3.076 G.P.A.
The Tiger softball team (2.961) and the Tiger men?s soccer team (2.956) just missed earning a 3.00 team G.P.A. The baseball team (2.919) also had a solid semester, meaning that 16 of Towson?s 20 intercollegiate teams had at least a 2.90 G.P.A.
Sophomore goalkeeper Jocelyn Papciak (Atholton H.S./Columbia, Md.) and sophomore forward Kaysi Ward (Long Beach H.S./Long Beach, N.Y.) of the women?s soccer team joined Gervais and Griifth as Scholar-Athletes that earned 4.0 G.P.A.?s. Papciak and Ward were both regular starters for Coach Greg Paynter.
Sophomore Samantha McElvaney (Seton Keough H.S./Catonsville, Md.) and freshman Tabitha Hatch (Perkiomen H.S./Green Lane, Pa.) of the field hockey team also had 4.0 G.P.A.?s during the Fall.
In addition, senior Casey Cegles (Eastern H.S./Ocean City, N.J.) of the football team, swimmer Michael Cheslock (Central Dauphin H.S./Harrisburg, Pa.) and freshman Stefan Froedert (Lampertheim Hessen, Germany) of the men?s soccer team each had a 4.0 G.P.A. during the Fall.
Junior Kate Gwiazdowski (Bel Air H.S./Bel Air, Md.) of the indoor and outdoor track team, freshman golfer Alison Tutelman (Hariton H.S./Rosemont, Pa.) and senior tennis player Jaclyn Tamburo (Dulaney H.S./Lutherville, Md.) round out the Tigers? contingent of students with perfect 4.0 G.P.A.?s.
The Tiger women?s cross country team also owns the highest cumulative G.P.A. among the Tigers? 20 sports with a 3.54 G.P.A. The indoor track team is second with a 3.42 G.P.A. while the outdoor track team (3.406) ranks third
?It?s amazing that we can have a team of 42 people and have a cumulative G.P.A. over 3.40,? says Erricker, who coaches all three of the leading academic teams on campus.
The Tigers? women?s swimming and diving team has the fourth-highest cumulative G.P.A. with a 3.403 mark, followed by the women?s golf team (3.368).
