Liberty's DI women's hockey graduates (from left) Priscilla Ziefle (B.S. Public Health), Brityn Fussy (B.S. Business Administration: Health Care Management), Peyton Carle (B.S. Criminal Justice: Crime Scene Investigation), Rianna Spanier (M.B.A. Master of Business Administration), Carly Glover (B.S. Business Administration: Entrepreneurship), Amanda Storey (B.S. Physical Education and Health), and Aislyn Stretch (M.A. Strategic Communications) helped the Lady Flames finish ranked second among Club Sports programs with a 3.71 grade-point average for the Spring 2024 semester.
Club Sports academic support staff continues to raise bar for student-athletes
6/5/2024 9:31:00 AM | General, Men's Beach Volleyball
Liberty's DI women's and men's hockey, racquetball, triathlon, and women's gymnastics teams led the way in helping to raise the comulative GPA within the department to 3.35 for the Spring 2024 semester.
Liberty University's Club Sports programs maintained their emphasis on academics in the spring semester, with their 701 student-athletes posting a cumulative grade-point average of 3.35, slightly better than the 3.34 average from the Fall 2023 semester and below the record 3.36 established in Spring 2023.
The average was just shy of Liberty's NCAA Division I Athletics Department, which for the second semester in a row accrued a record cumulative GPA of 3.36.
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A total of 346 Flames and Lady Flames Club Sports team members qualified for the Dean's List with GPAs of 3.5 or higher, and more than 22 percent (156) achieved a perfect 4.0.
Of the 43 distinct teams in the Club Sports program, 40 recorded cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or better. For the third consecutive semester, the men's and women's racquetball team posted the program's highest GPA (3.72). Once again, it was followed closely by the Division I women's hockey team (3.71), men's and women's triathlon (3.55), and women's gymnastics (3.54), with Division I men's hockey (3.52) moving into the top five.
Club Sports Assistant Athletic Director of Academic Advancement Sarah Kelly said it is rewarding to see her staff pour into the student-athletes, who in turn shine brightly both in the classroom and in their respective athletic arenas. The staff strive to set the standard for a collective work ethic and integrity that reflects positively on the department and the university as a whole.
"While we have a ton of resources for our student-athletes, they have to put in the work to use them and find success academically," Kelly said. "I'm always impressed with their ability to balance their busy schedules and still meet the standards we set for them as a department. They voluntarily join a team and pay to participate. We require a lot of them academically, and they rise to the occasion each semester to hold a high standard both in and out of academics."
"I'm very proud of our Club Sports athletes and feel privileged to work with such a bright group of students," Assistant Director of Academic Advancement Donna Holland said.
As her academic support staff continues to grow and refine their roles, the student-athletes reap the benefits of their wisdom and knowledge through accountability, goal-setting, mentoring, tutoring, and career counseling. Kelly is complemented by Holland, Assistant Director of Compliance Heath Grishaw, Academic Mentoring Specialist Jessica Nelson, Professional Advisor Chris Webb, Academic Study Hall Assistant Nick Nary, Academic Mentoring Assistant Julia DiMartino, and Academic Compliance Assistant Wade Lawrence.
"I'm very proud of my team and their efforts this semester," Kelly said. "The growth we see in our students each semester is incredible. My team works to build relationships through study hall and mentoring, and they target specifically what each student needs to succeed."
"It's exciting to see the relationships that our academic department is cultivating with student-athletes," Grishaw added. "We have a lot of resources offered, but the relationship-building side cannot be matched."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
The average was just shy of Liberty's NCAA Division I Athletics Department, which for the second semester in a row accrued a record cumulative GPA of 3.36.
Â
Of the 43 distinct teams in the Club Sports program, 40 recorded cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or better. For the third consecutive semester, the men's and women's racquetball team posted the program's highest GPA (3.72). Once again, it was followed closely by the Division I women's hockey team (3.71), men's and women's triathlon (3.55), and women's gymnastics (3.54), with Division I men's hockey (3.52) moving into the top five.
Club Sports Assistant Athletic Director of Academic Advancement Sarah Kelly said it is rewarding to see her staff pour into the student-athletes, who in turn shine brightly both in the classroom and in their respective athletic arenas. The staff strive to set the standard for a collective work ethic and integrity that reflects positively on the department and the university as a whole.
"While we have a ton of resources for our student-athletes, they have to put in the work to use them and find success academically," Kelly said. "I'm always impressed with their ability to balance their busy schedules and still meet the standards we set for them as a department. They voluntarily join a team and pay to participate. We require a lot of them academically, and they rise to the occasion each semester to hold a high standard both in and out of academics."
"I'm very proud of our Club Sports athletes and feel privileged to work with such a bright group of students," Assistant Director of Academic Advancement Donna Holland said.
As her academic support staff continues to grow and refine their roles, the student-athletes reap the benefits of their wisdom and knowledge through accountability, goal-setting, mentoring, tutoring, and career counseling. Kelly is complemented by Holland, Assistant Director of Compliance Heath Grishaw, Academic Mentoring Specialist Jessica Nelson, Professional Advisor Chris Webb, Academic Study Hall Assistant Nick Nary, Academic Mentoring Assistant Julia DiMartino, and Academic Compliance Assistant Wade Lawrence.
"I'm very proud of my team and their efforts this semester," Kelly said. "The growth we see in our students each semester is incredible. My team works to build relationships through study hall and mentoring, and they target specifically what each student needs to succeed."
"It's exciting to see the relationships that our academic department is cultivating with student-athletes," Grishaw added. "We have a lot of resources offered, but the relationship-building side cannot be matched."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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