Lehigh athletes excel on and off the field
1/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
Lehigh athletes have always prided themselves on their abilities academically and athletically. And, with the release of grade reports from the fall semester, it is easy to see where that pride originates. Fourteen of Lehigh’s varsity sports teams collectively posted a 3.0 grade point average or higher during the fall, led by women’s soccer with a combined 3.28 GPA.
For a student-athlete to qualify for the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, he or she must maintain at least a 3.2 GPA. For the Mountain Hawks, six whole teams averaged at least that high! In addition to women’ soccer and women’s lacrosse, women’s basketball (3.25), field hockey (3.23), men’s cross country (3.22), and volleyball (3.21) all averaged a 3.2 or higher.
Individually, twelve student-athletes achieved perfect semesters. Women’s crew, a new varsity sport at Lehigh, wasted no time fitting in with four women who achieved perfection in the classroom. Cross country/track and field students were no slouch either, with four of them gaining 4.0’s as well. The swimming and diving teams were next with three students, and women’s soccer had Trexler.
In addition, 136 of Lehigh’s athletes also made Dean’s List, which mean’s they recorded a 3.5 GPA or better. Overall, 21% of the athletes for the Mountain Hawks finished the fall semester making the Dean’s List or higher.
In maintaining such brilliance in their schoolwork, Mountain Hawk teams have still been able to perform very well on the field as well. Last fall both volleyball and men’s soccer qualified for the Patriot League tournaments, and the football team finished 23rd in the nation with a record of 8-3. Women’s soccer tied for the most victories ever, and field hockey recorded a .500 record at home. Plus, the cross-country teams finished first in four of the seven events they entered.
Lehigh, which sponsors 25 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports, ranked 12th in Division I by graduating 86% of its student-athletes in the most recent NCAA survey. Lehigh has ranked in the top 20 in Division I in each of the last ten years.
