ASUN Honors 179 Hatters for Academic Excellence

A record percentage of Atlantic Sun Conference student-athletes received Honor Roll accolades for the second consecutive year, and Lipscomb University claimed the Presidents’ Academic Trophy for the third consecutive year, the conference announced on Friday.

Stetson placed second behind Lipscomb in the academic rankings with 71 percent of its student-athletes who competed in the ASUN (football and men’s and women’s rowing are not included) earning ASUN Honor Roll recognition.  The Hatters ranked third in the league in terms of the total number of student-athletes who were honored with 179. Only Lipscomb (278) and North Florida (195) had more total honorees than Stetson.

More than 70 percent of the student-athletes earned membership to the ASUN Honor Roll by posting a 3.0 grade point average or better during the 2015-16 academic year. This is the second straight year of reaching a new high in Honor Roll membership, and additionally two institutions recorded their own percentage highs during the 2015-16 academic year.

“Once again we celebrate the progressive achievement of ASUN student-athletes as they consistently raise the bar academically and excel in their roles of student and athlete,” said ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart. “For the second straight year the results are a conference high mark, and that is attributed to the commitment from every part of the ASUN team – student-athletes, coaches, faculty, athletic department staff – all who remain student-focused as the ASUN continues to rise.”

Lipscomb snagged its third straight Presidents’ Academic Trophy with 83.73 percent of its student-athletes receiving a 3.0 GPA or better during the 2015-16 academic year. Two other schools set new program records and four schools including Stetson improved their percentages from last year.

In addition to the institutional highs, a total of nine sports also recorded percentage highs including five – men’s soccer, men’s cross country, men’s track and field, women’s basketball, and women’s golf – that raised the bar from last year’s record-setting marks. Men’s basketball, men’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s soccer, men’s track and field, women’s basketball, women’s cross country and women’s golf each reached new bests during the 2015-16 academic year.

Eight sports also turned in totals of at least 80 percent of the teams recording a 3.0 GPA or better – men’s tennis (90.16), women’s lacrosse (84.52), women’s cross country (82.61), women’s golf (92.12), beach volleyball (84.81), volleyball (83.78), women’s soccer (80.42) and women’s tennis (83.64).

A total of 125 ASUN student-athletes were Graduates with ASUN Honors by completing their eligibility with a GPA of 3.5 or better. Women’s soccer, volleyball and women’s soccer led the way with double-digit totals of student-athletes graduating with honors. The Hatters had 17 student-athletes earn Graduates with ASUN Honors recognition.

A total of 99 student-athletes received their undergraduate degrees while maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA during the 2015-16 academic year, a total that is up seven from last year. The Hatters’ Cornelia Sochor of the women’s soccer program represented Stetson in this category.

Overall, the ASUN recognized 1,427 student-athletes for their work in the classroom by reaching the 3.0 mark for the 2015-16 academic year.

Visit GoHatters.com for a full list of Stetson’s 179 ASUN Honor Roll members.

Pictured: Beach Volleyball’s Kendale Speyerer, 2016 Stetson graduate and member of the ASUN Honor Roll

2015-16 ASUN Academic Champion Rankings

1.      Lipscomb – 83.73%

2.      Stetson – 71.03%

3.      North Florida – 69.64%

4.      NJIT – 68.14%

5.      Jacksonville – 67.9%

6.      FGCU – 67.4%

7.      USC Upstate – 64.37%

8.      Kennesaw State – 63.1%

By Jamie Bataille