Volleyball head coach Don Gromala (third from the right)
poses with the volleyball team's senior class (from left to
right) Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola, Jenny Buczek, Kaylee
Koller, Liz Reikow and Lauren Engleman at the
student-athlete graduation breakfast this past spring.

Kent State University recently set two major records in the classroom behind an all-around effort from its 18 athletic teams. In the 2015 spring semester, the Golden Flashes recorded the highest department grade point average (3.184) in its history. The cumulative GPA (3.188) among all student-athletes is also at an all-time high.

Half of Kent State's teams tallied a spring semester GPA of 3.4 or higher, led by the volleyball team's 3.639. All but two teams posted a 3.0 or better this past semester and carry cumulative averages of 3.0 or higher. The Golden Flashes also set a record with 41 students notching a perfect 4.0.

“The record high department GPA is a testament to the quality of student that our coaches and administration are committed to bringing to Kent State University," says Greg Glaus, Kent State’s associate athletic director for academic and compliance services. “Our student-athletes have continued the upward trend where success in the classroom and hard work has simply become a part of our culture at Kent State.”

Two-thirds of Kent State student-athletes (241) reached a 3.0 or better this past spring, while 46 percent had a 3.4 or better.

Volleyball turned in its highest semester GPA since 2009, followed closely by women's golf's 3.628, the highest in program history. Soccer and softball also logged an outstanding spring semester with five students on each team hitting the 4.0 milestone.

Football registered its highest GPA (2.887) in program history, while field hockey (3.472) and women's track and field/cross country (3.464) netted their second-highest GPAs in a semester. The men's track and field/cross country program had its best semester (3.064) in 20 years, while wrestling (3.065) scored its best spring term in program history.

Fourteen gymnasts and 12 baseball players hit the 3.4 mark. Six women's basketball players earned personal-best GPAs.

"We continue to raise the academic bar, and our students have once again answered the challenge," says Joel Nielsen, Kent State’s director of athletics.

In May, 67 Golden Flashes walked across the stage inside the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center to receive diplomas. Twelve others are on pace to earn degrees this August.

Kent State Teams With 3.3 GPA or Higher