Ohio State’s male athletes might be bigger, stronger and faster than female athletes, but after Winter Quarter, the women win in the classroom.
Out of seven varsity sports at OSU with both men’s and women’s teams, the women averaged higher cumulative grade point averages in every sport except diving.
“That makes me extremely proud to be a female student athlete,” said Ashley Caldwell, a track and field athlete. “And beyond making me proud, it goes deeper, though, fighting those stereotypes that women aren’t as good as men.”
For Max Stearns, a 4.0 GPA fencer studying political science, the feeling is mutual.
“I think it’s great,” Stearns said. “Our women’s sports are doing really well, so it just shows that our women’s side of athletics is great at balancing everything and keeping everything in line.”
The team whose athletes boasted the highest cumulative GPAs was men’s diving at 3.54, narrowly beating the women’s cross country team, which carried a 3.43. The women’s diving team had the highest GPAs during Winter Quarter with a 3.85 average.
For football and men’s basketball, OSU’s two largest revenue builders, the GPAs fell just shy of the average, landing at 2.82 and 2.74, respectively.
Women weren’t the only ones doing better in the classroom. Athletes who participated in sports that involved distance running, swimming and diving also had higher GPAs.
The 983 NCAA participants came out with a 3.04 cumulative GPA when the Athletic Department released the grades after Winter Quarter.
Over the past few years, OSU has moved up in GPA rankings. The university ranks as the 18th highest public institution in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report annual rankings.
“The fact that our rankings institutionally are going up in every category, we want to rise with that,” said Gene Smith, OSU athletic director. “We want to make sure our student athletes can meet that challenge and we want to contribute to the continued growth of our programs.”
OSU holds potential athletes to the same standard as it would any student who doesn’t play a sport, said David Graham, director of the Student Athlete Support Services Office.
“When you look at that 3.0 GPA, and you look at the student body GPA, they’re right there at the same place,” Graham said. “It’s really the university that’s attracting these kinds of students. President Gee is promoting ‘One University.’ I believe in that, and I believe that from our swim coach to our women’s ice hockey coach, they understand that One University concept.”
Each year, Student Athletic Support Services makes an effort to make sure student athletes are prepared for life after graduation, Smith said.
“Our number one goal is to help our kids graduate with a degree and get that GPA as high as they can,” he said. “We spend a lot of dollars on it, about $2.2 million in academic support for our athletes. It’s out highest priority.”
A common misconception is that college athletes are admitted to schools regardless of their grades, but Graham said OSU might overlook recruits if they don’t meet the university’s academic standards.
“If you really want to play on our women’s basketball team and you were one of the best athletes in the state, but for some reason you didn’t academically fit, we have to be adult enough to say, ‘This is not the place for you,'” Graham said.
As freshmen, athletes spend hours each day at study tables to keep their grades up while balancing practices, games and other commitments.
“Because you’re a first-year student, you’ll have mandatory study table, so you get it,” Graham said. “Then after we see that first quarter, we can tell how they’ll balance the classroom, the competition and the community. As a first-year student, you need that structured environment. After that, it’s based on you.”
Last year, 23 teams achieved a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA, which is something many coaches take seriously.
“All our coaches here understand our No. 1 goal of academic excellence,” Smith said. “When you come to Ohio State, your parents are entrusting you to us, and we promise them that you will be a good student. Parents want to know the team GPAs, the graduation rate. Ethically, morally, personally it’s the right thing to do. Professionally it’s the right thing to do. We’re blessed that our coaches get that.”
OSU will host its 43rd annual Scholar-Athlete Dinner on Wednesday, where more than 500 athletes will be honored for having at least a 3.0 GPA. The teams come into the event competing to beat each other’s GPAs, Smith said.
“I think there is an attitude with the teams, that they know they need to be as competitive on the field as they are in the classroom,” Smith said. “Every year there have been more athletes performing to a higher academic standard. I really think we will continue to get even better.”
