VILLANOVA, Pa. - The Fall 2015 semester was a particularly good one for Villanova student-athletes in the classroom. As a group, the Wildcats student-athletes had a composite 3.207 grade-point average during the fall, marking the 25th consecutive semester with a term GPA above a 3.0. In addition, the in-season fall sports combined for a term GPA of 3.093. The academic figures from the fall semester are just the latest example of Villanova student-athletes making headlines for their academic achievements.

At the top of the list of accomplishments from the fall semester were 18 student-athletes representing nine teams who had a perfect 4.0 GPA for the term. A total of 417 student-athletes, 71 percent total, had a GPA of 3.0 or higher, including 194 who had a GPA of at least 3.5. There were 21 teams that posted a GPA of greater than 3.0, with the water polo team having the highest overall GPA at 3.508. The men's swimming & diving team led all men's teams with a term GPA of 3.303.

Also among the individual highlights from the fall semester was senior football player Don Cherry earning Capital One Academic All-America honors for the second straight year. Cherry, a linebacker who was named first team All-CAA Football for the second straight year, is a Finance major in the Villanova School of Business. He was named the CAA Football Student-Athlete of the Year for the 2014-15 academic year and is a two-time selection to the conference All-Academic Team. Prior to the announcement of the Academic All-America squad, Cherry and junior offensive lineman Jake Prus were selected to the Capital One Academic All-District team. Cherry and Prus, in addition to senior wide receiver Kevin Gulyas and junior defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon, were each named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Football Team.

The men's and women's cross country teams were extremely successful academically during their 2015 season. Both teams were named All-Academic Teams by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), while four student-athletes were named to the individual All-Academic Team. Those four included senior Rob Denault from the men's team and a trio of women's student-athletes in freshman Bella Burda, sophomore Siofra Cleirigh Buttner and junior Angel Piccirillo. Denault and junior Patrick Tiernan were each named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team for cross country, with Tiernan being voted the Academic All-Area Men's Cross Country Performer of the Year.

Senior setter Emma Pettit of the volleyball team also earned Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area honors.