BOSTON – The America East Conference announced Thursday afternoon that the University of Vermont's student-athletes secured the athletic department's record ninth Walter Harrison Academic Cup. The Walter Harrison Academic Cup is presented each season by the conference to the institution with the best cumulative GPA among its student-athletes competing in league sports. Vermont earned the 2022-23 honor with a cumulative GPA of 3.46.
RELATED LINKS
America East Release
In addition, four Vermont sports programs were recognized for having the highest cumulative GPA in their respective sports. Vermont Men's Cross Country (3.53 GPA), Women's Swimming & Diving (3.71), Men's Track & Field (3.48 GPA) and Women's Track & Field (3.62 GPA) were the top performing America East programs in their sport.
The Academic Cup, established by the America East Board of Directors in 1995, is presented to the institution whose student-athletes post the highest grade-point average during that academic year. The award was named for long time University of Hartford President, Walter Harrison, in 2017. America East student-athletes averaged a 3.37 GPA overall in 2022-23, the second-highest in conference history. All nine America East institutions averaged better than a 3.19 GPA in 2022-23. It's the 18th consecutive year America East student-athletes have averaged better than a 3.0 GPA.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Suresh Garimella, UVM President
"UVM championships rally our fans far and wide and winning the America East Academic Cup is a special point of pride for the University. Our teams consistently match academic success with athletic achievement at the highest levels. Catamounts are championship student-athletes in every sense of the phrase."
Jeff Schulman, Director of Athletics
"Capturing the America East Academic Cup for the ninth time in school history is a tremendous honor and testament to the hard work and dedication of our student-athletes, coaches and staff. I want to specifically recognize my three colleagues who serve as academic advisors: Cathy Rahill, Namik Sevlic, and Jess Cassotis. Academic success has been a hallmark of UVM Athletics throughout our history and today's announcement, along with the tremendous competitive success enjoyed by so many Catamount teams, recognizes our efforts at achieving excellence in all that we do."
Cathy Osmers Rahill, Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development and Academic Affairs SWA
"It's fantastic that our student-athletes have been recognized for their tremendous work in the classroom. I'm constantly inspired by their ability to excel academically while juggling demanding athletic schedules. I'd also like to congratulate our coaches who do everything they can to support the academic goals of their players."
