VILLANOVA, Pa.—With the end of the 2021-22 school year another set of academic data is out which shows the continued elite performance of Wildcats student-athletes in the classroom. Highlighting the latest round of academic accolades is that each of Villanova's 24 varsity sports programs achieved a team GPA above a 3.0 for the Spring 2022 semester. The overall grade-point average for nearly 550 student-athletes in Spring 2022 was 3.425, marking the 38^th straight semester spanning nearly two full decades that Villanova Athletics has had a department GPA above a 3.0. It is also the 15^th consecutive semester that the GPA of student-athletes has been higher than a 3.2.
 
The achievement of a 3.0+ GPA for all 24 of the Wildcats varsity teams is especially impressive and shows that the high level of academic success for student-athletes was truly across the board in the Spring semester. For the second straight grading period, the golf team had the highest GPA at 3.727 and the women's cross country team boasted the highest women's GPA at 3.719. Three other sports had a team GPA above a 3.6 for the Spring 2022 semester, including men's tennis (3.616), women's lacrosse (3.613) and women's track & field (3.612). In all there were 12 sports programs who had a GPA higher than 3.5.
 
From an individual standpoint, there were 48 student-athletes representing 23 different teams who posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in Spring 2022. The rowing team led all sports with 10 student-athletes who had a 4.0 GPA, followed by women's lacrosse, softball and golf who each had four 4.0 student-athletes. Half of the Villanova varsity sports programs (12) had multiple 4.0 student-athletes on their active rosters during the Spring semester. On a wider scale, 84 percent of all student-athletes posted a GPA above a 3.0 for the semester and 55 percent were named to the Dean's List in their respective schools for having a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher.
 
One of the accolades a student-athlete can earn at Villanova is to be named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll each semester. This award is bestowed on student-athletes who have a semester GPA of at least 3.2; in Spring 2022 this honor included 404 individuals and represented more than 75 percent of all Villanova student-athletes. It is the fifth straight semester that the Athletic Director's Honor Roll has consisted of more than 400 student-athletes. The golf team was announced as the winner of both the Nnenna Lynch Award for the team with the highest academic GPA as well as the Dr. Dan Regan Award which is given to the team with the most improved academic year GPA from 2020-21 to 2021-22.
 
The strongest indication of the elite ranking that Villanova student-athletes hold nationwide is the combination of the Wildcats success in the classroom and in the arenas of athletic competition. While holding down the top GPA among all varsity sports programs, the golf team posted its lowest team stroke average since the 2006 season and carded the best 54-hole team score in program history (279) at the OBX/ODU Intercollegiate during the Fall season. The women's cross country team which held the highest women's GPA for the 2021-22 academic year qualified for the NCAA Championships in the Fall and is sending multiple student-athletes to the NCAA Championships in track & field.
 
During the 2021-22 academic year the Wildcats had 17 teams compete in their conference tournaments. There were 12 sports who either earned a team berth or sent individual athletes to their respective national championships. The men's soccer team won the first NCAA Tournament game in program history during the Fall while the softball team captured its second straight BIG EAST title and reached an NCAA regional for the second year in a row. The football, men's basketball and women's swimming & diving teams were also conference champions. Football won the regular season CAA title for the first time since 2012, the men's basketball team won its fifth BIG EAST tourney title since 2015 and women's swimming & diving repeated as BIG EAST champions for the ninth consecutive year.
 
The release of academic data from Spring 2022 is the latest recognition for Villanova student-athletes for success in their academic pursuits. Last December the NCAA released its most recent Graduation Success Rate data in which Villanova Athletics reported its highest-ever mark of 98 percent. Each of the Wildcats sports programs exceeded the overall national average of 92 percent, while Villanova had 12 teams with a perfect 100 percent NCAA GSR rate.
 
During the summer months there will be additional releases of NCAA Academic Progress Rate data along with BIG EAST announcements of its annual Team Academic Excellence Awards, Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award and the 2021-22 BIG EAST All-Academic Team. Similar all-academic releases will be revealed during the summer by CAA Football, the Colonial Athletic Association (rowing) and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (water polo).