Sharks Shine Academically with Program-Best Winter Semester to Cap Record-Setting Year

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The winter semester provided more evidence that nothing can stop a determined Shark, as Nova Southeastern student-athletes not only extended the program’s gold-standard academic tradition, but showed perseverance in excelling at record levels in spite of this semester’s obstacles. The Sharks produced a program-wide 3.40 grade point average for the program’s highest winter semester mark, coupling with the fall’s 3.27 to earn the highest annual departmental GPA on record at 3.33.
 
Of NSU’s 17 NCAA Division II intercollegiate programs, 16 squads posted a 3.0 or higher team GPA, with 80 percent of student-athletes individually exceeding a 3.0. Closing out the 2019-20 academic year with a perfect semester, a program-record 38 student-athletes garnered a 4.00 GPA and 59 Shark student-athletes graduated during the 2019-20 academic year. There were 90 student-athletes who earned a spot on the NSU Director’s List above a 3.80 GPA, while 223 Sharks were named Scholar Athletes with a GPA of 3.25 or better.
 
“While this semester proved to be unusual and filled with unexpected challenges, it should come as no surprise that our Shark student-athletes again demonstrated their determination and resilience with their record-setting academic performances,” Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Services and Student-Athlete Support Rachel Fineberg said. “I am so proud of each and every one of our student-athletes for their commitment to academic excellence. Congratulations to our recent Shark graduates! We look forward to the day that we can welcome you home and celebrate with you and your loved ones.”

The Shark leaders in the winter hailed from women’s swimming with an NSU-high 3.68 GPA for a new program semester-best, en route to a new top annual GPA. Taking the lead spot for the fifth consecutive semester, the men’s soccer team also posted its best academic year to date thanks to a 3.56 winter semester GPA that again paced all men’s programs.

Barely edged out by the swimmers, not only returning to prominence with a 20-win season for the first time since 2008, women’s volleyball delivered program highs for the year and the winter semester at 3.64 this term. Volleyball held only a slight advantage over the NCAA No. 1-ranked women’s golf squad, which produced a 3.63 this semester.
 
Adding another pair of annual highs on the men’s side, men’s golf posted a program winter semester-high 3.38, while men’s basketball reached 3.30 for a program high this term.

This is the eighth consecutive semester and fourth year in a row that the NSU student-athletes have posted a 3.20 or better GPA (and 20 straight semesters in excess of 3.0), which began when NSU posted the previous annual record at 3.29 in 2016-17. With the new record 3.33 on the books, the 2019-20 Sharks have once again raised the bar for future classes.

Now for the 18th consecutive year, NSU Athletics has finished with a 3.0 or higher department GPA dating back to 2002-03 – the first year of NCAA competition. Additionally, for the last eight academic years, NSU student-athletes have earned a 3.15 or better.

To follow the Nova Southeastern Sharks on social media, please go to @NSUSharks on Twitter and Instagram, as well as /NSUSharksAthletics on Facebook.

 
 

Print Friendly Version

Source