MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama Department of Athletics celebrated the academic achievements in the spring of its 17 sport programs Monday at the Scholar-Athlete Breakfast held at the University Student Center Ballroom.

Over 100 individuals with a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher during the spring 2016 semester were recognized — representing more than a quarter of the school's total number of student-athletes — and featured among that group were 35 who recorded a 4.0 GPA during the term.  Twelve Jaguar teams had a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher in the spring, and 11 sport programs have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better after the athletic department posted a 3.02 mark last semester.

During the 2015-16 academic year, South Alabama not only won the Vic Bubas Cup — presented to the top overall athletic program in the Sun Belt Conference — for the second year in a row but set a school record for the second time in as many years with 171 student-athletes earning either Sun Belt Commissioner's List or Academic Honor Roll recognition.  That included six academic all-district selections, with the duo of Jan-Louw Kotze and Joanna McCoy earning first- and third-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, respectively.

"Doing well as a student-athlete requires a large support team, thank you to the faculty out there for being a part of that team and your efforts to encourage these outstanding students," said University President Dr. Tony Waldrop.  "The culture is here to do the right thing, and that is to win both in your sport as well as in the classroom.  Coaches set an example, you're the person who student-athletes are going to look to, so thank you for supporting them in this outstanding year that we've had.  What I am extremely proud of is that, for the second year in a row, we won the Vic Bubas Cup that goes to the university in the conference that has the overall best athletic performance.  But equally important is that you also were at the top of the Sun Belt this year for APR — you won in the classroom and you won as an athlete."

Awards for the highest team grade-point average in the spring were presented to women's tennis and men's cross country, while the soccer and men's indoor and outdoor track and field programs were honored for having the most improved GPA from the previous semester.

"These are young people who have balance in their lives, they have their ducks in a row, they have tremendous time demands that they choose to absorb.  They live a lifestyle in college as a student-athlete that can be demanding, but it is also very, very rewarding," Dr. Joel Erdmann, USA Director of Athletics, said.  "I think it is pretty solid in the culture of our athletics department that we expect to be successful in the form of winning, but we are going to be equally as successful in the classroom; that's the way we are going to do our business and what we are going to be known for, and that's what makes everyone in and out of this room proud."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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