St. Joseph Post
Missouri Western student-athletes had another record semester in the classroom as the athletic department grade point average was a 3.222 following the spring 2021 semester.
That is the highest cumulative GPA in Missouri Western history, breaking the previous mark of 3.220 during the spring of 2020. This is the third straight semester the cumulative GPA for the department is at or above a 3.2 and the seventh straight semester that it's above a 3.0.
There were 238 Griffon student-athletes this spring who earned MWSU Academic honors for having a GPA above a 3.0, which is the second most all-time.
Sixteen of the 17 Missouri Western programs finished the spring semester with a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Griffon Women's Tennis led the way for the athletic department as they had the highest spring team semester GPA with a 3.797 and the highest overall cumulative program GPA at 3.795. Men's Golf had the highest spring semester men's team GPA with a 3.356 and MWSU Baseball had the highest men's team cumulative GPA after the spring with a 3.306.
"It's no coincidence that classroom performance continues to rise alongside the competitive success of our athletic department," said Griffon athletic director Dr. Josh Looney. "Academic excellence is at the forefront of our competitive goals and there is no greater testament to that priority than seven consecutive semesters of breaking and re-breaking academic records.
"The academic elevation over that period of time spans across each of our sport programs and is truly an accomplishment worth celebrating. We are incredibly proud of our student-athletes, coaches and academic support staff."
Missouri Western also had 231 student-athletes earn an academic honor from the MIAA or the GLVC, as the those leagues handed out Academic Excellence Awards, Scholar-Athlete Awards and Academic Honor Roll.