BEAUMONT, Texas – Less than a week after celebrating its 36 graduates, and only three days after receiving a strong report from the NCAA based on the Academic Progress Rate, Lamar University has released another record-setting performance in the classroom. LU athletics set a school record with 50 student-athletes recording a 4.0 grade-point average (GPA) during the 2020 spring semester, breaking the previous mark of 42.
 
Despite the fact that the class of 2020 will always be remembered for adversity faced in dealing with overwhelming changes related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, LU's student-athletes didn't allow that to effect their focus in the classroom. In addition to the 4.0 GPAs, the athletics department also recorded 120 GPAs of at least a 3.5, and nearly 200 student-athletes recorded at least a 3.0 (196).
 
"For many the 2020 spring semester will be remembered for the adversity that all students faced due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but our student-athletes didn't allow that to effect their work ethic," said LU Director of Athletics Marco Born. "I'm very proud of the hard work by our student-athletes during some very unique situations. I'm also very proud of our coaches and support staff in their attention to detail when it came to our student-athletes."
 
The women's tennis team – one of the many spring sports who had their 2020 season cut short due to the precautions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, recorded a team GPA of 3.81, which was a program best. The netters were just one of two spring sports who managed to set new program benchmarks. The men's golf team closed the semester with a team-record 3.76 GPA.
 
As a whole, the athletics department finished the year with a 3.02 cumulative GPA, after posting a 3.0 during the spring.