UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., April 10, 2006 - The 19th Annual Academic Achievement Awards Banquet was held tonight in the Bryce Jordan Center and the Nittany Lion women's swimming and diving team was presented with the team award for highest grade-point average during the 2004-05 academic year to highlight a record-setting year for Penn State student-athletes. The event was held in conjunction with National Student-Athlete Day. The women's swimming and diving team, coached by Bill Dorenkott, has earned the highest team GPA five times since 1988. The squad has captured the last two Big Ten Championships and three of the past five overall under Dorenkott's leadership. Sponsored by the Milton and Lois Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes and the Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB), a total of 278 awards were presented to 220 student-athletes for their academic accomplishments in 2004-05. All 220 honorees earned a 3.00 grade point average or higher during the 2004-05 academic year. Presentations also were made to 67 seniors who had a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA through the Spring 2005 semester. Dr. Jim Martin, who won an NCAA wrestling title and was a four-time All-American at Penn State, was the featured speaker. Martin graduated with a 3.95 grade point average and was a four-time Academic All-American. For the second consecutive year, 20 teams earned a grade point average of 3.0 or better, one off the school record and an increase from 17 teams in 2002-03 and 15 three years ago. The performance of Penn State's 14 women's programs was particularly notable, earning a combined 3.27 GPA during 2004-05. There are approximately 750 Penn State student-athletes on 29 varsity teams. The Nittany Lion Club presented its True Grit Award to two student-athletes for overcoming adversities during their careers. The recipients were sophomore Aslynn Satterfield (women's gymnastics, Boalsburg, Pa.) and junior Grady Renfrow (men's soccer, Washington, D.C.). Satterfield has returned to competition after under-going two open heart surgeries while a student at State College Area High School. Renfrow has battled leukemia twice and returned to compete for the Big Ten Champion soccer team. The Varsity "S" Award was presented tonight for the fifth time. The honor goes to the women's and men's teams with the highest team GPA. This year's recipients were the women's swimming and diving team and the men's golf squad, coached by Greg Nye. The THON awards were presented to the student-athlete and team that raised the most donations for the Four Diamonds Fund and THON. The recipients were junior Sarah Dwyer (women's soccer, Califon, N.J.) and Coach Paula Wilkins' women's soccer team. The CHAMPS Cup Awards for community outreach were presented tonight for the first time, with winners selected for squads with 20 or fewer squad members (women's basketball) and squads with more than 20 squad members (field hockey). Penn State's student-athletes, who have won six Big Ten Championships thus far in 2005-06, consistently have been among the nation's most successful in earning their degrees. Among some of the recent academic accomplishments are: A total of 435 student-athletes earned a GPA of 3.0 or above last semester, just seven off the record of 442 from the 2003 fall semester. The 435 total represented 59 percent of active student-athletes, one percent below the record 60 percent set in the Fall of 2003 and '04. The University's African-American student-athlete GSR was 82 percent, 22 points higher than the national GSR average of 60 percent.
|
|
