Southern Illinoise University Athletics
SIU Track and Field excelling in the classroom
01/20/2016 | 12:00:00 | Track and Field
By: Will Becque
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The 2015 fall semester was a resounding success for the Southern Illinois University men's and women's track and field teams in the classroom, as a total of 21 student-athletes recorded perfect 4.0 grade-point averages (GPA).
Not only does the 21 student-athletes make up close to a quarter of the SIU track and field teams, it also means almost one-third of all student-athletes who recorded 4.0 GPAs in the fall were from track and field. 68 SIU student-athletes had perfect 4.0 GPAs.
"From day one, our athletes know that they are here with a very specific plan and purpose, and that primary purpose is their academic goals and their pursuits in their chosen career fields," said SIU directorof track and field/cross country Kathleen Raske. "They know that they can't do one without the other and that athletics is secondary to their academic pursuits."
On the men's side, 23 student-athletes finished the fall semester with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, including seven 4.0 GPAs. For the women's team, 32 student-athletes earned 3.0 GPAs or higher, of which 14 recorded perfect 4.0 GPAs. In total, close to 60 percent (55-of-93) of the SIU men's and women's track teams achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Liz Jordan, SIU track and field's academic advisor, believes the success of the Salukis in the classroom can be attributed to the leadership of the SIU coaching staff.
"[The track and field teams] do a really good job of completing their work, responding to our requests and the coaches hold them accountable," said Jordan. "The coaches have really high expectations for their teams- they do such a good job of leading and pushing their student-athletes to their limit academically."
On top of the semester success, eight upperclassmen maintained cumulative 4.0 GPAs. 33 student-athletes carry a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, and 55 carry a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0.
"You can just skate by and get a degree, or you can strive to be excellent," said Raske. "We have many student-athletes on our team that exemplify being excellent in all that they do, and 4.0 is excellent. I'm very proud of all our 4.0s. As the new director, its so impressive to me because in 26 years of coaching I've never had a semester such as this to have so many 4.0's. Its a great accomplishment by those dedicated students and they are a great example for the rest of the team."
The Salukis are back in action Friday, Jan. 22 and Saturday, Jan. 23 at the Gladstein Invitational, hosted by Indiana University Bloomington.
