UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State student-athletes produced another superlative year in 2018-19, highlighted by several school-record achievements in the classroom and adding to the Nittany Lions' impressive list of national and Big Ten Conference championships.
Penn State student-athletes shattered numerous school academic records this past year, including delivering a 3.17 grade-point average, with 58 Nittany Lions earning a perfect 4.0 GPA, during the spring semester.
The Nittany Lions captured the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championship, the program's eighth national title in nine years, and six Big Ten crowns in 2018-19 under the leadership of Sandy Barbour, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics.
"Our entire community should be congratulated and thanked for their part in these accomplishments. I'm so proud of the outstanding work that our students do academically, in competition and in the community," said Barbour, who is completing her fifth year leading the ICA team. "But like most things in sport, it's a team effort! We all take great pride in the commitment and investment that our community, our coaches, our administration, our staff, all put into it. It's our point of difference. That combination is rare, and to achieve at a high level of comprehensive excellence takes commitment, resources and a collective community vision.
"I'm exceedingly proud that we are carrying on that long-standing Penn State tradition of academic achievement, with integrity and character, while winning championships. Never satisfied, we'll continue to work every day to raise the bar even higher."
For a complete listing of 2018-19 academic and athletic accomplishments, please see here.
500-plus Nittany Lions earn 3.0 GPA or higher for first time in spring semester; Dean's List honorees up 16.3 percent in five years
A spring semester school record 505 Nittany Lion students posted a 3.0 GPA or higher, eclipsing 500 for the first time. The previous highest spring total was 495 in 2017 and the 505 high achievers are the fourth-highest overall semester total. A spring record 245 Nittany Lions delivered a 3.5 GPA or higher to garner Dean's List accolades.
The number of Penn State student-athletes earning Dean's List honors (3.5 GPA) has increased 16.3 percent since the 2014 spring semester (205 to 245). The number of Nittany Lions posting at least a 3.0 GPA during the spring semester has increased 8.7 percent the past five years from 461 in 2014 to 505 in 2019.
Starting with the 2014 fall semester, Penn State student-athletes have achieved the 10 highest semesters all-time for the number of students earning at least a 3.0 GPA, including five semesters with at least 500 students posting a 3.0 GPA.
Penn State Yearly Academic Records Broken in 2018-19:
-368 Academic All-Big Ten honorees (3.0 GPA or higher)
-117 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars (3.7 GPA or higher)
-169 graduates (does not include August 2019 graduates)
Overall Semester Academic Records Broken in 2018-19:
-3.17 grade-point average (spring)
-58 student-athletes with 4.0 GPA (spring)
-135 semester graduates (spring)
Semester Academic Records Broken in 2018-19:
505 student-athletes with 3.0 GPA (spring)
245 student-athletes on Dean's List, 3.5 GPA (spring)
Four Nittany Lions Selected CoSIDA Academic All-Americans®
Four Nittany Lions earned CoSIDA Academic All-America® accolades in 2018-19: Emily Ogle (women's soccer) and Noah Roberson (men's gymnastics) earned their second Academic All-America® honors, while Kerry Abello (women's soccer) and Blake Gillikin (football) earned their first. Roberson is a two-time first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American® and became just the sixth three-time recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 Award across all sports.
Nittany Lions Capture Fourth Consecutive NCAA Wrestling Championship and Six Big Ten Titles
Penn State captured its fourth consecutive NCAA Wrestling Championship and won six Big Ten Championships or tournament titles in men's gymnastics, men's lacrosse, women's soccer and wrestling in 2018-19. The men's lacrosse team won its first Big Ten Championship and advanced to its first NCAA Championship Weekend.
Nittany Lion students also won six individual NCAA Championships and 12 individual Big Ten titles this past year. Among the individual NCAA Champions was wrestler Bo Nickal, who earned the Hodge Trophy and was selected the Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year for 2018-19.
Since the 2014-15 academic year, Penn State leads all Big Ten institutions with eight NCAA Championships, the highest total of any institution in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast or Midwest. Also over the past five academic years, Penn State has won 24 Big Ten Championships in 12 different sports.
Nittany Lions Earn 20th Top 15 Finish in Learfield IMG College Standings
The 2018-19 academic year marked the 20th time in the last 26 years that the Nittany Lions have posted a Top 15 Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup finish, placing No. 13. Penn State is one of only nine institutions nationwide to have finished in the Top 25 in all 25 Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup final standings.
Penn State Athletics ranked No. 9 among the nation's 65 Autonomy Five institutions for the second consecutive year, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Additional 2018-19 Penn State Athletics Highlights:
-The Penn State Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) raised a record $70,396.25 for THON in the fight against pediatric cancer.
-Penn State Athletics received more than $46 million in charitable and ticket related contributions from donors and fans this past year, of which $25.7 million were charitable gifts and $20.4 million were required ticket contributions. Donors to Nittany Lion Athletics generously made 80 new commitments of $50,000 or more, of which 47 were at the six-figure level and seven at the $1 million-plus level, including one gift of $5 million to be announced.
-The Nittany Lion Club launched the Athlete Network to further engage former student-athletes. Former Nittany Lion student-athletes gave approximately $3.3 million back to Penn State during the year.
-The new home for the Nittany Lion's men's and women's lacrosse teams, Panzer Stadium, was dedicated in September. During their first season in the facility, the men's squad won its first Big Ten regular season and tournament titles and was ranked No. 1 nationally most of the season.
- Penn State led the nation with eight teams ranked in the top 10 in average home attendance among 17 sports surveyed nationally. The field hockey, football and wrestling teams all ranked No. 2 nationally in average home attendance.
-Penn State Sports Properties, which manages ICA's multimedia and sponsorship rights, was selected the Learfield IMG College Property of the Year for the third consecutive year.
Penn State Among the Nation's Premier Athletic Programs in Comprehensive Excellence
Under the Barbour's leadership, Penn State has one of the nation's most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, featuring 800 student-athletes across 31 varsity programs (16 men's, 15 women's).
Nittany Lion students have posted an NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 90 percent the past two years, which ties Penn State' all-time high. Eight teams earned a 100 percent graduation rate in the 2018 NCAA Graduation Rates Report. The Nittany Lions rank No. 4 among all Division I schools with 205 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans all-time and broke the school record with 368 Academic All-Big Ten honorees (3.0 GPA or higher) and 117 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars (3.7 GPA or higher) during the 2018-19 academic year.
A semester school record 135 Penn State students-athletes graduated in May, boosting the number of graduates in 2018-19 to a yearly record total of 169, with additional graduates to come in August.
Penn State's 51 NCAA Championships all-time (79 national championships overall) rank No. 5 among all NCAA Division I programs and are the highest total of any college or university east of the Mississippi River. Penn State's 21 NCAA titles since 2007 are tied for No. 3 in the nation and lead all Big Ten Conference institutions. The Nittany Lions have won 113 Big Ten championships or tournament titles since capturing their first crown in 1992-93, including six during the 2018-19 academic year.
