FLORENCE, Ala. (May 22, 2024) – The University of North Alabama Department of Athletics celebrated a successful semester in the classroom for Spring 2024, highlighted by UNA's women's golf program recording the first-ever 4.0 overall team GPA in school history.
All five members of the women's golf program had a perfect semester, including seniors
Allycia Gan and
Tori Roush, juniors
Hannah Dees and
Jahnavi Prakhya, and redshirt freshman
Kerigan Klauber. The team is led by head coach Neil Self.
"The girls said they were going to do it — and they did it," said Self. "This team was very special in the way they were driven and self-motivated to accomplish difficult things. And I assure you, this was no easy thing. They studied before and after practice, before and after tournament rounds. They studied in the van. They studied in the hotel rooms and lobbies. They pushed through when they were tired to get the job done.
"This semester, they accomplished something that has never been done here before, which makes it extra special," Self continued. "I couldn't be more proud of what they've done."
As a whole, UNA Athletics turned in a 3.27 GPA for the semester. This marks the 17th straight semester with at least a 3.00 GPA by the department and the eighth time in the last nine semesters with at least a 3.2 GPA.
The 3.27 GPA was recorded by 322 student-athletes from 14 athletic programs.
UNA had 66 student-athletes finish with a perfect 4.0 GPA and 236 student-athletes with a 3.0 or higher. The top five programs include women's golf, women's soccer, beach volleyball, softball and indoor volleyball, followed closely by men's golf as the highest-ranked men's program. All six turned in at least a 3.49 GPA.
"We are strong believers that sustained classroom excellence generates greater competitive consistency, and it is no coincidence that both are on the rise for UNA at the Division I level," said UNA Director of Athletics Dr. Josh Looney. "We're incredibly proud of our student-athletes as they establish new academic benchmarks and celebrate classroom successes, and we are grateful for a team of coaches who reinforce our goal of competitive excellence extending well beyond the playing field."
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
