General | 1/29/2019 8:40:00 AM
ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT Athletics program enjoyed unparalleled success in both the field of competition and classroom during the 2018 Fall semester. On the field, RIT had three fall sports advance to the NCAA Tournament and ended the semester 29th overall in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings among all Division III schools. In the classroom, the Tigers 650 student-athletes combined to record an incredible 3.342 overall grade-point average.
On the field, men's cross country, women's soccer and volleyball advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Volleyball won its first Liberty League title since joining the league in 2011 and won 29 games. Men's cross country recorded its best-ever finish in the Liberty League Championship, made its second straight trip to nationals and was ranked as high as No. 21 nationally. Women's soccer hosted its first two NCAA Tournament games and was ranked as high as No. 15 in the nation.
In the classroom, 63 student-athletes posted a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. In addition, five teams had better than a 3.5 cumulative team GPA for the semester, while 19 teams were better than a 3.0. Women's cross country led all teams with an incredible 3.737 team GPA, while women's soccer (3.62), women's tennis (3.546), women's basketball (3.536) and volleyball (3.505) were right behind. On the men's side, cross country (3.496), men's hockey (3.485) and men's soccer (3.416) enjoyed tremendous success in the classroom.
"This past fall once again demonstrates the kind of quality that exists in our Athletics program," said
Lou Spiotti Jr., RIT's Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. "Academically, our student-athletes are second to none. The success we enjoyed in the competitive arena proves that they also take their role as student-athletes seriously. I applaud them and our cadre of outstanding coaches."
RIT's athletic teams are already excelling at the start of the spring semester, with several winter programs in contention for league and national plaudits.
