FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Earlier this month, the Nova Southeastern University Department of Athletics capped off a banner year of athletic competition, finishing 14th out of over 300 NCAA Division II schools in the final Learfield Directors' Cup standings. But that is only a part of the equation which defines the Sharks' yearly success.
A core variable in the Sharks' philosophy of success is academic excellence. Since joining the DII ranks in 2002, the Sharks have been among the nation's top performing programs academically, having earned a 3.0 department grade point average for 13 consecutive years. The 2014-15 academic year was no exception with over 300 student-athletes combining for a 3.15 cumulative GPA.
"Academic excellence is one of the eight core values at Nova Southeastern University and we certainly recognize academic achievement as one of the main pillars of success within the Department of Athletics," Director of Athletics Michael Mominey said. "We are equally proud of our student-athletes as scholars as we are with all of their athletic accolades. The 2014-15 academic year will be remembered as one of the best years in school history, but what makes it even more special is that our student-athletes truly understand the priorities of being a student above and beyond everything else. The winning culture that we have been able to establish over the past several years begins with success in the classroom. We will never deviate from that philosophy."
Balancing the demands of regular athletic competition and academic responsibility, 65 percent of NSU student-athletes earned a 3.0 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale for the academic year. Six percent earned a perfect 4.0, while 28.2 percent finished with a 3.50-3.99, and 30 percent finished between a 3.00 and 3.49 GPA.
Of the 17 NCAA DII athletic programs sponsored by NSU, 13 earned higher than a 3.0 over both the fall and winter semesters combined. Women's basketball, who made their third straight appearance at the NCAA DII Elite Eight, tied women's soccer for the highest team GPA at 3.36, while women's tennis finished with a 3.35 after returning to the NCAA postseason since the early 2000's. Women's cross country finished fourth (3.30), followed by volleyball (3.29), rowing (3.24), women's track and field (3.18), men's soccer (3.16), women's golf (3.14), men's cross country and softball (each at 3.10), the 2015 National Champion men's golf squad (3.07), and women's swimming and diving (3.03).
The department's 3.15 GPA for 2014-15 was the second-highest during in the NCAA era. The Sharks' finished with a 3.17 GPA in back-to-back years of 2012-13 and 2013-2014. In 2012-13, the NSU athletic department also finished in the top 10 of the Learfield Directors' Cup standings at No. 9, which topped all Sunshine State Conference member institutions for that year.
