USC puts ‘student’ in student-athlete
Move over Stanford.
Monday afternoon the USC Athletic Department congratulated some of the nation’s best collegiate athletes for their academic achievements during the 2009 fall semester.
Trojan student-athletes not only dominated the NCAA on the field, court, pool, pitch, and putting green in 2009, but also managed to make “student” a relevant portion of their job description. Two hundred and eighty-five individuals from across the athletic department, nearly half of USC’s student-athlete population, earned at least a 3.0 GPA, and 117 of them made Dean’s List, which requires a 3.5.
“Trojan student-athletes are dedicated to excellence, making a commitment to their success both inside and outside the classroom,” gushed the athletic department in an online salute.
Eight of USC’s 19 teams recorded a team GPA of at least 3.0, led by the women’s cross country team who earned a collective 3.32 last fall. No team had more student-athletes with at least a 3.0 GPA than the women’s crew team, who represented almost 15 percent of the individuals honored by the athletic department (42 of 285).
USC women’s tennis team earned “most improved” by adding .29 points to last spring’s 3.0 GPA. The women earned academic honors while tallying a 21-3 season record.
Freshman forward Davis Rozitis, originally from Latvia, is a lone representative for the men’s basketball team on the 3.0 and above honor roll.
classof 75..
Jeff Byers has a 3.3 GPA and has graduated with an MBA. He absolutely deserved to be mentioned but whoever wrote this is clueless. Only about 10-15 football players out of 85 on scholarship have a GPA over 3.0..
Its the NCAA’s fault. They just do not want to look like the bad guy!
I find it curious, even humorous that there is no mention of a single football player, and only one basketball player mentioned in this propaganda piece. Don’t get me wrong, I am as proud of our women athletes as the next Trojan alum. I just want to be clear. So what you’re telling me by not telling me, is that the two primary revenue sports are really in the entertainment business, and NOT in the education business. No wonder the NCAA is looking at us through a magnifying glass.