The Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) has announced that SIUE is among the 25 top programs in the country in terms of collective grade point average. The rankings cover Divisions I, II and III. SIUE tied for 13th in the NCAA with Upper Iowa. Both schools had a collective GPA of 3.69 for the 2013-14 school year.
The women’s golf team has had the highest GPA among SIUE athletic programs for four-consecutive semesters. Texas-El Paso was the 2013-14 winner of the WGCA All-Scholar Team GPA Award for having the country’s highest collective GPA at 3.84.
Two SIUE men’s golfers have been recognized for achievement on the course and in the classroom. Taylor Cox (Columbia, Mo.) and Taylor White (Dakota Dunes, S.D.) have been named Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars as awarded by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
To be eligible for All-America Scholar status individuals must be a junior or senior academically, compete in at least three full years at the collegiate level, participate in 50-percent of his team’s competitive rounds, have a stroke-average under 76.0 in Division I, and maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.2.
Cox finished his eligibility with the Cougars last season and will graduate in December with a degree in marketing. He has a GPA of 3.30. White, a senior, currently holds a 3.38 GPA and also is majoring in marketing.
The SIUE women’s track and field team, along with student-athletes LaDonna Caston of Riverdale and Julian Harvey of Edwardsville, have each been honored by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for academic excellence.
The women’s program was named as an All-Academic team after combining to earn a 3.19 team grade point average. The Cougars have been honored in each year they have been eligible for the Division I award.
Individually, hurdler Caston and men’s jumper Harvey are the first individuals to be honored as All-Academic selections. Caston, who will be a junior, has a 3.5 GPA and is majoring in exercise science. Harvey, who will be a sophomore, has a 3.38 GPA and is undeclared.
In order to be selected, individuals must achieve a 3.25 cumulative GPA and must participate in at least one round of NCAA postseason competition during the outdoor season or be among the top 96 during the indoor season.