Yellow Jackets’ Success Begins in the Classroom
ÃÛ¶¹app continues to make its mark in NCAA Division II athletics on the field of competition, and even more so in the classroom.
ÃÛ¶¹app continues to make its mark in NCAA Division II athletics on the field of competition, and even more so in the classroom.
All 14 Yellow Jacket varsity programs posted a team cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 through the spring 2021-22 semester. Overall, Cedarville student-athletes combined for a 3.44 GPA across all sports.
“The continued academic success of our student-athletes is a team effort,� said Teresa Clark, faculty athletic representative. “The academic accomplishments of our student-athletes are the result of us having responsible athletes, understanding faculty and supportive coaches.�
The numbers reveal that among women’s teams, cross country (3.68 GPA) was the frontrunner, followed closely by track & field (3.64) and basketball (3.63). On the men’s side, soccer (3.49) took top honors, with cross country (3.44) and track & field (3.42) not far behind.
“We are appreciative of the great work that our faculty does in challenging, teaching and helping our student-athletes in being successful in the classroom, said Christopher Cross, athletic director.�
The Yellow Jackets earned the NCAA Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence earlier in the year for the ninth consecutive time. The award recognizes institutions for achieving four-year Academic Success Rates (ASR) of 90% or higher. Cedarville finished tied for 15th out of more than 300 Division II member schools in the country with an ASR of 93%.
The ASR is the percentage of student-athletes who graduate within six years of initial collegiate enrollment and consists of virtually all Division II student-athletes. What’s more, only two other Great Midwest Athletic Conference institutions received the award — Hillsdale College and Trevecca Nazarene University.
Additionally, 183 Yellow Jacket student-athletes made the 2021-22 G-MAC Academic Team, which features men and women with a minimum 3.30 cumulative GPA.
Distance running specialist Rachel Sweeney-Bredeson was voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® First Team in women’s cross country/track & field. She’s the first Yellow Jacket in any sport to earn first-team honors twice.
Soccer player Jonny Stephens was a repeat selection to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Second Team, becoming just the second ÃÛ¶¹app men’s athlete to be a two-time Academic All-American.