UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Athletics saw 116 student-athletes earn Academic All-Big Ten honors for the fall semester. Hope McKenney (women's cross country), Gery Schnarrs (field hockey), Rowan Lapi (women's soccer), Amanda Poorbaugh (women's soccer) and Mac Podraza (women's volleyball) all had perfect 4.0 GPAs.
To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selections, students must be on a varsity team (as verified by being on the official squad list as of Nov. 1 for fall sports), have been enrolled full time at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Among those on the list of fall Academic All-Big Ten honorees is senior Cori Dyke from the women's soccer program. Dyke was named United Soccer Coaches second-team All-American. She was also named United Soccer Coaches first-team All-Region, Big Ten Defender of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten this season.
The Nittany Lions' fall teams were led by football with 25 honorees. On the women's side, women's soccer had 22 honorees earn the Academic All-Big Ten distinction.
Team by Team Honorees
Men's Cross Country – 9
Women's Cross Country – 16
Field Hockey – 14
Football – 32
Men's Soccer – 12
Women's Soccer – 22
Women's Volleyball – 11
In 2022-23, the Penn State athletic department finished with 421 Academic All-Big Ten selections. The latest 116 honorees bring Penn State's total academic honorees to 8,418 since 1991-92.
Penn State Highest Fall Academic All-Big Ten Totals (3.0 GPA):
2021 – 131*
2017 – 117
2023 – 116
2020 – 114
2022 – 109
2012 – 100
*-School Record
Graduation Success Rates
Graduation Success Rates
Penn State student-athletes continue to register record-breaking graduation rates and perform well above their peers nationwide. The Nittany Lions posted a record-tying 99% NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and 13 programs earned perfect 100% ratings. This is the seventh consecutive year the Nittany Lions posted a record or record-tying performance in the classroom, according to data reported by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The NCAA's annual graduation rates report of Division I institutions across the nation revealed Penn State student-athletes at the University Park campus earned a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 93% to break the school's all-time record, which was previously set in the 2020, 2021 and NCAA reports. Nittany Lion students posted a 93% graduation rate compared to the 90% average for all Division I institutions for students entering from 2013-14 through the 2016-17 academic year.
Penn State student-athletes have logged a Graduation Success Rate in the 88-93% range during each of the past 17 NCAA reports, improving from 88% in the 2015 report to a record-breaking 93% report in the most recent report.
Penn State Among the Nation's Most Comprehensive and Successful Athletic Programs
Under the leadership of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Dr. Patrick Kraft, 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). The Nittany Lions' 31 programs are tied for the fourth-highest number of sports sponsored by a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution.
