McLean County Times

Illinois State University student-athletes have achieved a new record in academic performance, as announced by Associate Athletics Director for Academics and Life Skills Joe Klausner. The Redbirds reached a departmental grade-point average (GPA) of 3.45 during the Spring 2024 semester, excluding the Spring 2020 COVID semester.

Dr. Jeri Beggs, ISU Interim Director of Athletics, emphasized the importance of education alongside athletic success. "Winning championships is the goal every season, but at the end of the day education is our primary mission at Illinois State," she stated. Dr. Beggs expressed her admiration for the dedication shown by student-athletes both academically and athletically.

A total of 344 Redbird student-athletes were recognized on the Honor Roll, with 133 achieving perfect 4.0 GPAs. Klausner praised their commitment to academics: "Our Redbird student-athletes had a great spring semester in the classroom and continue to show their tremendous commitments towards academics and future endeavors."

The men's programs collectively attained a record cumulative GPA of 3.31, while women's teams matched their previous record with a GPA of 3.64. Leading among individual teams was swimming & diving with a program record GPA of 3.81; men's tennis led its category with a GPA of 3.65.

Additional achievements included new team GPA records for gymnastics (3.72), men's track and field (3.23), men's basketball (3.43), football (3.21), and men's golf (3.51).

GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App remain key resources for tickets, merchandise, and more related to Illinois State athletics.