CHARLESTON, S.C. – Following a competitive fall athletically on the football field, the volleyball court, the soccer pitch and more, The Citadel Athletics celebrates another notable term in the classroom as well, wrapping up the semester with a 3.427 overall GPA -- the highest mark of the past four years -- as a department along with a wealth of individual achievements, including: 86 cadet-athletes notching 4.0s, 132 securing Gold Stars (3.7+) and 111 earning distinction on the Dean's List (3.2+).

"I am very proud of our student-athletes this fall," Jake Lehr, the Assistant Academics Director for Athletic Programs, said. "Their hard work paid off in the form of the highest departmental GPA I have seen in my time at The Citadel, and a record number of cadets who earned 4.0s and Gold Stars. This is a remarkable group who is sure to continue performing to their best potential."

From a sport-specific perspective, every program at The Citadel concluded the six-month period with a team GPA 3.0 or better. On the leaderboard, women's rifle surged into the top slot behind a 3.675 mark, jumping the prior long-time resident tennis (3.670) for the position. Golf (3.664) and soccer (3.653) impressed as well with basketball (3.555), women's cross country (3.547), baseball (3.545) and women's track & field (3.540) all superseded the 3.5 plateau.

Individually, 285 of the department's 365 cadet- and student-athletes -- 78.1 percent -- registered GPAs of 3.0 or better with 86 notably locking down perfect 4.0s for the term. Of the 86, football paced the Bulldogs with 18 representatives followed by baseball (13), soccer and men's track & field (10), tennis (8), volleyball and basketball (5), women's rifle, women's cross country, women's track & field and golf (3), and men's cross country and mixed rifle with one apiece.