University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Student-Athletes Receive High Marks in the Classroom
June 14, 2024 | General
Third straight semester with all 16 sports with a team GPA above 3.00
The Spring 2024 semester was yet another record-breaking term for Tennessee Athletics, as the student-athlete population posted a cumulative 3.37 GPA, the second-highest GPA for a spring semester in UT history.
The strong showing in the spring follows the best semester GPA in Tennessee history with a 3.40 departmental GPA in the fall.
The excellent spring metrics included a record 3.54 combined women's sports GPA for the spring semester along with the second-highest spring semester for combined men's sports at 3.21. It marked the 12th consecutive spring semester with an overall GPA of 3.00 or higher.
By marking the 23rd consecutive semester in which the Vols and Lady Vols combined to post a GPA of 3.0 or higher, Tennessee Athletics has now maintained that level of academic achievement for 12 straight years.
Tennessee Athletics' Rise Glorious Strategic Plan features a directive to "honor the foundation of college sports by maximizing the educational journey of each student-athlete and creating championship-level performance expectations academically."
"We have a tremendously competitive group of young men and women who are as dedicated in the classroom, as they are between the lines. They will be winners in life because of their experience on Rocky Top," Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said. "They are continuously raising the standard of what it means to be a Tennessee Volunteer!"
Notably, five sports programs—each of which also enjoyed significant competitive success in 2024—recorded their highest-ever semester GPA in the spring. Those sports were baseball, softball, women's tennis, women's track and field and volleyball.
Softball captured the SEC regular season title this spring while No. 1 baseball won both the SEC regular season and tournament championships. The Vols are the top-seed in the Men's College World Series and face Florida State tonight at 7 p.m.
Some of the additional academic highlights from the Spring 2024 semester include:
The Vols' and Lady Vols' collective academic prowess complemented the best athletic year in Tennessee history. Tennessee is currently No. 3 nationally in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup. UT will finish in the Top Five for the first time in school history with just baseball remaining.
In addition, 90 UT student-athletes earned degrees in May to culminate the spring semester:
BASEBALL (2)
Aaron Combs - Management
Cal Stark – Journalism & Electronic Media
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (2)
Rickea Jackson – Communication Studies
Karoline Striplin – Journalism & Electronic Media
FOOTBALL (10)
Will Albright – Finance
Will Brooks – Finance
Jeremiah Crawford – Communication Studies
Gabe Jeudy-Lally – Sport Management (Master's)
Cooper Mays – Sport Management
Gaston Moore – Supply Chain Management
Keenan Pili – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Jabari Small – Sport Management
Alton Stephens – Food and Agricultural Business
Omari Thomas – Journalism & Electronic Media
MEN'S GOLF (1)
Jake Hall – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
WOMEN'S GOLF (2)
Kayla Holden – Sport Management
Paula Kirner – Management
ROWING (12)
Beatrice Bernard – Philosophy
Alyssa Biernat – Political Science
Erin Gifford – Business Analytics
Sophia Henn – Anthropology
Reagan Horn – Audiology/Speech Pathology
Elena Jerkovic – Biological Sciences
Julie Lofton – Accounting
Reagan Long – Neuroscience
Natalia Loram – Political Science
Autumn Pavuk - Nutrition
Katie Rice - Architecture
Logan Yates – Nutrition
SOCCER (3)
Lindsey Brick - Psychology
Nayeli Diaz - Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Giselle Washington - Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
SOFTBALL (4)
Mackenzie Donihoo – Sociology
Payton Gottshall – Teacher Education (Master's)
Giulia Koutsoyanopulos - English (Master's)
Rylie West – Journalism & Electronic Media
SWIMMING & DIVING (25)
Jordan Aurnou-Rhees – Management
Alyssa Breslin – Hospitality & Tourism Management
Luke Brice – Geography (Master's)
Elle Caldow – Hospitality & Tourism Management
Micah Chambers – Kinesiology
Flynn Crisci – Marketing (Master's)
Joel Giraudeau – Supply Chain Management
Olivia Harper - Kinesiology
Bryden Hattie – Advertising
Joseph Jordan – Kinesiology
Will Jackson – Accounting
Nicola Lane – Biological Sciences
Jack Little – Kinesiology (Master's)
Tanesha Lucoe – Journalism & Electronic Media
Katie Mack – Journalism & Electronic Media (Master's)
Jacob McDonald – Construction Science & Agricultural Systems
Mona McSharry – Kinesiology
Jake Narvid – Political Science
Rafael Ponce de Leon Castilla – Supply Chain Management
Elle Renner – Interior Architecture
Annie Rimmer – Therapeutic Recreation
Dillon Richardson – Marketing
Jasmine Rumley – Kinesiology
Sara Stotler – Sport Management
Joey Tepper – Chemistry
MEN'S TENNIS (1)
Angel Diaz – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
WOMEN'S TENNIS (2)
Esther Adeshina - Management
Lauren Anzalotta - Sociology
TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY (22)
Canaan Anderson – Aerospace Engineering
Msgana Araya - Neuroscience
Carolyn Barksdale - Kinesiology
Elliot Barner – Sport Management
Emmanuel Bynum – Journalism & Electronic Media
Peyton Davis – Mechanical Engineering
Brooke Dixon - Marketing
Clement Ducos – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Kayla Gholar - Psychology
Mike Griffin – Sport Management
Nate Kawalec – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Jacob Lewis – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Joella Lloyd – Kinesiology (Master's)
Sam Mclendon – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Kyla Robinson-Hubbard – Sociology
Jonah Ross - Psychology
Preston Ruth – Industrial Engineering
Jada Seaman – Marketing (Master's)
Jacious Sears - Psychology
Danielle Shipp – Social Work (Master's), Trauma Treatment (GCP)
Callie Tucker – Neuroscience
Mikele Vickers - Psychology
VOLLEYBALL (3)
Jasmine Brooks - Sport Management
Ashllyn King – Journalism & Electronic Media
Erykah Lovett – Management
The strong showing in the spring follows the best semester GPA in Tennessee history with a 3.40 departmental GPA in the fall.
The excellent spring metrics included a record 3.54 combined women's sports GPA for the spring semester along with the second-highest spring semester for combined men's sports at 3.21. It marked the 12th consecutive spring semester with an overall GPA of 3.00 or higher.
By marking the 23rd consecutive semester in which the Vols and Lady Vols combined to post a GPA of 3.0 or higher, Tennessee Athletics has now maintained that level of academic achievement for 12 straight years.
Tennessee Athletics' Rise Glorious Strategic Plan features a directive to "honor the foundation of college sports by maximizing the educational journey of each student-athlete and creating championship-level performance expectations academically."
"We have a tremendously competitive group of young men and women who are as dedicated in the classroom, as they are between the lines. They will be winners in life because of their experience on Rocky Top," Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said. "They are continuously raising the standard of what it means to be a Tennessee Volunteer!"
Notably, five sports programs—each of which also enjoyed significant competitive success in 2024—recorded their highest-ever semester GPA in the spring. Those sports were baseball, softball, women's tennis, women's track and field and volleyball.
Softball captured the SEC regular season title this spring while No. 1 baseball won both the SEC regular season and tournament championships. The Vols are the top-seed in the Men's College World Series and face Florida State tonight at 7 p.m.
Some of the additional academic highlights from the Spring 2024 semester include:
- All 16 sports earned a team GPA above 3.00 (third consecutive semester)
- 60 student-athletes earned a 4.00 semester GPA
- 221 student-athletes were recognized on their respective Dean's Lists
- 77 percent of UT's student-athletes earned a 3.00 GPA
The Vols' and Lady Vols' collective academic prowess complemented the best athletic year in Tennessee history. Tennessee is currently No. 3 nationally in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup. UT will finish in the Top Five for the first time in school history with just baseball remaining.
In addition, 90 UT student-athletes earned degrees in May to culminate the spring semester:
BASEBALL (2)
Aaron Combs - Management
Cal Stark – Journalism & Electronic Media
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (2)
Rickea Jackson – Communication Studies
Karoline Striplin – Journalism & Electronic Media
FOOTBALL (10)
Will Albright – Finance
Will Brooks – Finance
Jeremiah Crawford – Communication Studies
Gabe Jeudy-Lally – Sport Management (Master's)
Cooper Mays – Sport Management
Gaston Moore – Supply Chain Management
Keenan Pili – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Jabari Small – Sport Management
Alton Stephens – Food and Agricultural Business
Omari Thomas – Journalism & Electronic Media
MEN'S GOLF (1)
Jake Hall – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
WOMEN'S GOLF (2)
Kayla Holden – Sport Management
Paula Kirner – Management
ROWING (12)
Beatrice Bernard – Philosophy
Alyssa Biernat – Political Science
Erin Gifford – Business Analytics
Sophia Henn – Anthropology
Reagan Horn – Audiology/Speech Pathology
Elena Jerkovic – Biological Sciences
Julie Lofton – Accounting
Reagan Long – Neuroscience
Natalia Loram – Political Science
Autumn Pavuk - Nutrition
Katie Rice - Architecture
Logan Yates – Nutrition
SOCCER (3)
Lindsey Brick - Psychology
Nayeli Diaz - Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Giselle Washington - Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
SOFTBALL (4)
Mackenzie Donihoo – Sociology
Payton Gottshall – Teacher Education (Master's)
Giulia Koutsoyanopulos - English (Master's)
Rylie West – Journalism & Electronic Media
SWIMMING & DIVING (25)
Jordan Aurnou-Rhees – Management
Alyssa Breslin – Hospitality & Tourism Management
Luke Brice – Geography (Master's)
Elle Caldow – Hospitality & Tourism Management
Micah Chambers – Kinesiology
Flynn Crisci – Marketing (Master's)
Joel Giraudeau – Supply Chain Management
Olivia Harper - Kinesiology
Bryden Hattie – Advertising
Joseph Jordan – Kinesiology
Will Jackson – Accounting
Nicola Lane – Biological Sciences
Jack Little – Kinesiology (Master's)
Tanesha Lucoe – Journalism & Electronic Media
Katie Mack – Journalism & Electronic Media (Master's)
Jacob McDonald – Construction Science & Agricultural Systems
Mona McSharry – Kinesiology
Jake Narvid – Political Science
Rafael Ponce de Leon Castilla – Supply Chain Management
Elle Renner – Interior Architecture
Annie Rimmer – Therapeutic Recreation
Dillon Richardson – Marketing
Jasmine Rumley – Kinesiology
Sara Stotler – Sport Management
Joey Tepper – Chemistry
MEN'S TENNIS (1)
Angel Diaz – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
WOMEN'S TENNIS (2)
Esther Adeshina - Management
Lauren Anzalotta - Sociology
TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY (22)
Canaan Anderson – Aerospace Engineering
Msgana Araya - Neuroscience
Carolyn Barksdale - Kinesiology
Elliot Barner – Sport Management
Emmanuel Bynum – Journalism & Electronic Media
Peyton Davis – Mechanical Engineering
Brooke Dixon - Marketing
Clement Ducos – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Kayla Gholar - Psychology
Mike Griffin – Sport Management
Nate Kawalec – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Jacob Lewis – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Joella Lloyd – Kinesiology (Master's)
Sam Mclendon – Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Kyla Robinson-Hubbard – Sociology
Jonah Ross - Psychology
Preston Ruth – Industrial Engineering
Jada Seaman – Marketing (Master's)
Jacious Sears - Psychology
Danielle Shipp – Social Work (Master's), Trauma Treatment (GCP)
Callie Tucker – Neuroscience
Mikele Vickers - Psychology
VOLLEYBALL (3)
Jasmine Brooks - Sport Management
Ashllyn King – Journalism & Electronic Media
Erykah Lovett – Management
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