Carbondale Reporter

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced on Tuesday that the Southern Illinois University softball program recorded the highest grade point average (GPA) in the country for the 2023-24 academic year.

"This award is a real testament to the priority we place on being a student-athlete here at Southern Illinois," head coach Jen Sewell said. "The resources and staff we have in place are incredible here in athletics. We have finished in the top 10 and even the top two so many times, so it's great for our team to breakthrough and finally sit at the top of all levels of collegiate softball in GPA. Saluki Softball has 70+ years of championships and academic achievements and it's proof that we don't have to choose winning over academics – we can and we will have both, that is the standard here at Saluki Softball. I want to congratulate all 22 members of the 2023-2024 team on their accomplishment as well as Hilary Wittenborn our Associate AD for Academics and our Associate Head Coach Mary Jo Firnbach for their daily impact on our athletes academically. This team is full of nurses, teachers, businesswomen, farmers, therapists, and many more exciting career and degree programs. As coaches, we look forward to seeing them chase their career goals and dreams after their time here at SIU."

Southern Illinois posted a team GPA of 3.856 in 2023-24 and tallied a 3.831 spring GPA.

The program's cumulative GPA topped all of collegiate softball.

Nine players recorded a perfect 4.0 in the spring, while the entire roster had a 3.30 or better for the term. Across the full academic year, every player on the team posted a 3.50 or above.

The Salukis, along with their academic success, won both the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships and made an NCAA Regional Final appearance in 2024.

To read the NFCA release, click here.

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