The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Close 2016-17 Academic Year with High Note
6/6/2017 | Academic Support
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss student-athletes closed the 2016-17 academic year on a high note continuing the tradition of academic excellence in the Ole Miss athletics department. Rebel athletes posted the highest cumulative semester GPA in recorded history with a 3.01, while over 50 percent of student-athletes earned a spot on the AD's Honor Roll for a 3.00 GPA or better.
In total, 319 of Ole Miss' 359 student-athletes were named to either the AD, Dean's or Chancellor's Honor Roll with 25 student-athletes earning 4.00 GPAs for the spring semester.
"Ole Miss student-athletes have once again shown their level of commitment to being students first as they have achieved another 3.00 cumulative GPA," said senior associate athletics director for student-athlete development, Derek Cowherd. "We as a staff are so proud of their resilience and their tenacity when competing on the courts, range and fields as well as in the classroom."
Winners of the Chancellor's Cup for the fourth consecutive time, the women's soccer team continues to showcase academic excellence. The Rebel kickers for the third straight year posted the highest overall team GPA (3.61) with 23 of the 25 members of the active roster recording a 3.00 GPA or better. Additionally, the team as a whole won the NSCAA Team Academic award for the sixth consecutive year. Danielle Gray earned Ole Miss' Taylor Medal, the highest academic honor on campus, and Addie Forbus was named to the 2016-17 Who's Who Class.
The men's tennis team earned the highest GPA on the men's side with a combined 3.47. The Rebels had 100 percent of their active roster make at least the AD's honor roll with a 3.00 GPA and their semester GPA was the second highest in recorded history. The Ole Miss football team made significant strides in the classroom with 29 players earning a 3.00 GPA and will have eight May graduates back on the field for the 2017 season.
The track programs, which are prepping for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, had an outstanding semester. The men posted a 3.05 semester GPA, which is the highest in recorded history, while the women's harriers recorded a 3.00 GPA for the fourth consecutive spring semester and had eight graduates. Fresh off its first-ever NCAA Super Regional appearance, the softball team hit a 3.00 GPA for the sixth consecutive semester and had 14 members of the team on an honor roll. The volleyball team, lead by H. Boyd McWhorter nominee and Taylor medalist Aubrey Edie, posted a 3.37 semester GPA - which is the highest in over seven years -and had three players earn 4.00 GPAs.
From a historical perspective, Ole Miss student-athletes are performing at a very high level in the classroom. The spring's 3.01 cumulative GPA is the highest-ever and tops the 3.00 posted by student-athletes in the fall of 2016. In all, 12 of Ole Miss' 16 sports posted at least a 3.00 GPA this semester, compared to just seven in the spring of 2012, showing major progress for Ole Miss student athletes and academic staff.
For further academic accolades, follow @UMTrueRebel on Twitter.
Ole Miss Student-Athlete Development Mission
The mission of Ole Miss' Student-Athlete Development program is to challenge student-athletes to be lifelong learners while pursuing continuous improvement academically, relationally, socially, personally, and professionally during and beyond their careers as student-athletes.
