Barry's Student-Athletes Reach All-Time Highs in Classroom

Barry's women's golf team scored the highest GPA among the school's 12 sports in the Fall. Photo by Dennis Jezek

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University’s athletic teams are scoring at an all-time high in the classroom.

Of the 194 student-athletes enrolled on the NCAA Division II campus north of Miami, 134 recorded grade point averages for the Fall semester at a 3.0 or higher mark. That figure represents 69 percent of the 2011-12 student-athletes enrolled at Barry.

Ten of Barry’s 12 athletic teams had GPAs above a 3.0 during the Fall.

The university’s previous high for student-athletes reaching a 3.0 GPA or higher during the Fall term was 66.8 percent, according to Maritza Ryder, Assistant Dean of the School of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences who oversees  academic  services  for student-athletes. Barry reached the 66.8 percentile in the Fall of 2006 and 2008. In the Spring of 2010, Barry student-athletes recorded GPAs above 3.0 at a 67.2 clip.

Additionally, 67.5 percent of the Buccaneers student-athletes maintained a cumulative GPA at 3.0 or greater through the Fall semester. The cumulative GPA percentage figure during the Fall semester also represents an institution high mark. In the Spring of 2011, 67.8 percent of Barry’s student-athletes had cumulative GPAs above 3.0 – the university’s all-time high for either term.

Of the 194 student-athletes, 5.1 percent had 4.0 GPAs.

Barry’s average team term GPA of 3.273 also marked a school all-time high. The university’s average team cumulative GPA was 3.230.

The women’s golf team had the highest GPA during the fall at 3.667. Women’s golf also maintained the highest cumulative GPA at 3.602.

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Barry Athletics Excels in Classroom

Women's golf posted the highest GPA of Barry's athletic teams during the spring.

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. — A trend of academic excellence that began more than a decade ago continues for Barry Athletics as the Buccaneers combined to post a 3.237 grade point average in the Spring '12 semester. The term was the 18th straight in which the department has been above 3.0, and with a 3.268 GPA, it was the 21st straight with a cumulative GPA above 3.0.

The Bucs set a number of records in the spring. There were 17 undergraduates and one graduate student with a 4.0 GPA, which was a record for both the total and the percentage (9.6 percent) to have a spotless term GPA in the spring. The record-setting group was led by a trio of seniors who each earned their fifth President’s List awards: Anne Fourdraine (women’s golf), Daniel Stapff (men’s golf) and Allie Llaneras (women’s soccer). Sofia Jakobsson (women’s soccer) and Alex Decker (baseball) picked up their third awards, while Ziena Cline (women’s soccer), Joe Conkleton (men’s soccer), Johnny Rodrigues (men’s soccer) and Haley Struthers (women’s soccer) earned their second. The rest of the group, Renee Forcier (rowing), Harold Holness (baseball), Melissa Madrid (women’s soccer), Daniela Murray (women’s golf), Julio Ramos (baseball), Connor Randel (men’s soccer), Julie Stas (women’s tennis) and Kris Wilkinson (men’s soccer), earned their first. Men’s soccer’s Lucas Noboa earned a 4.0 in his first term in graduate school.

“We all are very proud of our student-athletes and their accomplishments this past year both academically & athletically,” Director of Athletics Mike Covone said. “Based on our Academic Success Rates, student achievements, service and collaboration, and team accomplishments on the field, on the water and on the courts, we are fulfilling Barry’s mission while making a difference in the community.”

For the term, 69.5 percent of all student-athletes had a spring term GPA of 3.0 or higher, which topped the mark of 69 percent set in the fall. The previous high before this year was 67.2 percent in the spring of 2010.

Also, 72.5 percent of all student-athletes currently have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, besting the total of 67.8 set in spring of 2011.

The women’s golf team, fresh off a fourth-place finish at the national tournament, continues to lead the program in both term and cumulative GPA. The linksters posted a 3.659 term GPA, and maintain a 3.632 cumulative mark among the seven members of the team. Men’s soccer was second, and best among the men’s teams, with a term mark of 3.496 and a 3.444 cumulative GPA.

“I'm very excited about the outstanding effort and academic show of our student-athletes,” said Maritza Ryder, Assistant Dean of Barry’s School of Human Performance & Leisure Sciences who oversees academic services. “These student-athletes have embraced and exceeded a tradition of exemplary academic performance.

"Setting a strong standard for excellence and consistently emphasizing its importance for the good of the student-athletes and their futures creates a culture for achievement and sets a standard for our work each day. I'm thrilled for the student-athletes in their academic and athletic performances, and am very thankful for the intentional and collective efforts of our ECA, faculty, advisors, coaches, administrators, tutors and staff that supports these young folks reach their life and college goals.”

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