UCF student-athletes compiled a 3.30 GPA for Spring 2019, which is the third-highest in program history.

The student-athletes have extended the longest streak of achieving at least a 3.0 GPA as a department in school history. In all, 14 teams had a combined GPA of 3.0 or better this fall, and 10 posted at least a 3.2 GPA.

“Our student-athletes continue to perform at a very high level both in the classroom and in their respective sports,” says Tara Helton, associate athletics director, Ů��AV. “Our continued success in the classroom continues to show the level of commitment put forth here at UCF, not only by the student-athletes and ASSA (Academic Services for Student-Athletes), but also by the coaching staffs and administration.”

Since the arrival of Danny White, vice president and director of athletics, the Knights have not turned in a semester below a 3.0, starting at 3.01 in Spring 2016. UCF set a program record for a 3.33 GPA in Spring 2018, and the Knights have posted a 3.3 GPA three times in the past four years. The top five marks in school history have come over the past six semesters as the Knights continued to win championships in their field of competition.

This semester, 68 percent (259) of student-athletes achieved at least a 3.0 GPA, which was a four percent increase from last spring. Thirty-five Knights recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA, five more than the spring semester.

The men’s golf team earned the highest GPA of all the men’s programs with a 3.43. The women’s tennis team’s 3.63 GPA was the best among women’s programs at UCF.

Kinesiology faculty member Michael Redd is now working with coaches as the first director of sports science appointed by the athletics program. He also is supervising UCF students selected for a new sports science internship program.

“Having a sports scientist on the performance team is not a novel concept,” said Jeff Stout, interim dean of the new College of Health Professions and Sciences, home to the school. “But giving sports science students the ability to work with Division I athletes is an opportunity that few students may experience.”

“We’re not aware of any other universities that offer such an internship opportunity for select graduate and undergraduate students,” said Redd, who completed his doctorate in exercise physiology (an area of kinesiology) in August.

Under Redd’s supervision, the interns will help bridge the gap between science and application.

“Wearable devices provide physiological, performance and biomechanical data points that require special advanced training to interpret,” Stout said. “Sports scientists can then create specific algorithms to analyze the data to inform coaches of their team’s training volume and its relationship to an athlete’s fatigue scores, hydration, heart-rate variability and performance.”

Redd was a doctoral student at UCF last year when he worked with the men’s soccer team during a pilot study. He attended the practices and analyzed thousands of data points produced by tracking bands worn by the players.

His analysis of the data gave head coach Scott Calabrese another tool to assess his trainings and ensure the athletes got just what they needed. For example, in some cases Calabrese would adjust the duration and intensity of the training drills to enhance recovery and optimize performance.

The team went on to win eight consecutive games and compete in the American Athletic Conference championship final. The Knights are now this year’s preseason favorite in the conference.

Following the success of the pilot study, Redd and Stout worked with UCF Athletics to establish a new sports science internship to enable more students from the school to learn and assist.

Redd has started selecting graduate and undergraduate students as interns. They will learn how to collect and interpret data produced by devices worn by student-athletes. Redd will review the data and use it to inform the coaches of the findings.

Eventually, the health and performance of some 400 student-athletes could be monitored, he said.

Undergraduate Maxine Furtado is among the first students selected for the internship. She is working with the university’s soccer programs.

“I’ve always been interested in the analytics portion of sports science and this internship is going to provide me with an opportunity to learn, to understand and to enjoy all the hard work it takes to form a good athlete,” said Furtado, a former high school athlete. “This opportunity has already made a huge positive impact in my life and my future career choices.”

UCF Athletics is excited for the partnership, said Eric Wood, deputy athletics director for competitive excellence.

“In Danny White, we have the most innovative athletics director in the country,” Wood said. “He views this cutting-edge opportunity as a win-win situation because it benefits our coaches and student-athletes as a competitive advantage on their respective playing fields, while providing practical experience and research opportunities for UCF students.”

��

My brother-in-law, who’s from New England, recently schooled me about lacrosse, so now on top of college football, basketball, baseball and volleyball, I’m hooked on that, too. And if it’s any indication of my level of fanaticism, I got married on a Sunday in the fall so I could still watch college football on the Saturday before.

But it seems like the playing field is a little unfair when it comes to student-athletes who can’t profit from what they do in college, unlike other students who can use their engineering skills to get jobs, their marketing abilities to work at companies promoting products, their management skills to set up their own companies.

This issue has been around for years. The latest case involves a football player, a marketing major, who was told by the association that oversees college athletics that he risks his amateur status by receiving advertisement payments for a YouTube channel that uses his name and image.

There’s something amazing about seeing people competing for not only the win, but perhaps also a chance to participate at the next level. Experiences learned through competition – such as leadership, effective communication and the capacity to work in team-oriented environments – are also key. Intense preparation, strategy, focus, and random luck are all things with which we can relate.

It’s easy to see that student-athletes pour a lot of effort into their craft. They love their sports and their fans. I often wonder, however, do these students get full value for sharing their talents? Is limiting their financial support to tuition, room, board and a stipend fair?

I’ve never participated in college sports, and before I provide a stream of consciousness about something of which I am admittedly not an expert, consider the other students.

College students come in all manner of shapes, sizes and colors. When the next incoming class hits campus this fall, they will do so with varied levels of academic preparation, degree-seeking goals and financial needs. They’ve successfully been admitted to their respective universities with the goal of improving their own lives.

Some students will finance or pay their way through school, while some of the bright ones will get full academic scholarships. The very brightest have earned supplemental scholarships that will come to them as stipends.

Once in school, the fully funded students typically need only keep a B average and make satisfactory progress toward graduation to retain their support in place. These requirements are generally attainable given their skill set.

These top-end students usually have intellectual appetites that cannot be satiated by classwork alone. They participate in club activities, volunteer for community service, travel abroad, undertake creative efforts, and so on. If they wanted, they could even further develop their skills by starting a successful company, becoming a research assistant in a lab, hosting a blog or YouTube channel, or have some other side gig. All of these could lead to extra money. As long as the GPA is minimally a B average, they can fully capitalize on their current market value.

It is rewarding to see students with newly developed skill sets preparing themselves for the next level. Experiences learned through extracurricular activities help to develop leadership skills, effective communication and the capacity to work in team-oriented environments. Intense preparation, strategy and focus are what make students successful.

It’s easy to see that top-end academic students pour a lot of effort into building their bodies of work. They love their craft. I expect these students will reap the benefits of the value for their talents, but I have yet to see one of my engineering students sell his or her autograph for money, which they can do without being penalized.

Imagine that you, your relative or friend were a student highly regarded in art, architecture, marketing or cybersecurity. What level of vitriol would you have toward a system that placed restrictions on you or their ability to apply those skills for profit while still in school? So although they may occupy the identical campus setting, exceptionally gifted student-athletes and academic students are seemingly subject to starkly different systems facilitating distinct fiscal outcomes.

Arguments against why student-athletes are not allowed to reap the full monetary benefits during or after the application of their skill set seem circular and duplicitous compared to the free markets that exists for the skills of academic students. Universities need to be given more freedom to devise systems that are more equitable for all of their students.

There are a lot of sides on this issue that have been debated for years, and any satisfactory solution will probably be complex. But just consider: As your favorite college team takes the field or court, are the players getting reasonable market value for their time and energy?

Ali P. Gordon is an associate professor in UCF’s Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. He can be reached at ali@ucf.edu.

Four of the five partners in the firm are UCF alumni, including Christina Pinto, ’86; Lisa-Moreno Haramboure, ’89; Tony Moreno Jr., ’91, who also serves on the UCF Foundation Board of Directors; and Rob Clark, ’94. The firm’s other partner, Scott Peelen, graduated from Michigan State, but he was easily adopted as a member of their UCF family, especially since his daughter, Sarah, is a current UCF student, and he attends all of the football games.

The breakfast took place at the Alfond Inn in Winter Park, with many prominent community figures in attendance — including members of the UCF Board of Trustees, UCF Foundation Board of Directors and UCF Alumni Association Board of Directors, as well as Orange County commissioners, current and former mayors, and one of the forefathers of UCF, Charlie Gray.

Knightro and some of the UCF Cheerleaders kicked off the morning with a cheer, followed by opening remarks from Peelen. WESH 2 Sports Anchor Pat Clarke hosted the remainder of the event, reminiscing about when UCF’s football program first started, and how he used to be able to park his Mustang under the Citrus Bowl stands. He commended then-Coach Gene McDowell on taking the program from Division II to Division I-AA, as well as current Head Coach George O’Leary on his “culture of winning” and “culture of learning.” He concluded with a��video��showcasing this season’s UCF Football’s key players before introducing Todd Stansbury, UCF’s athletic director, who stepped in to speak for O’Leary, who had to cancel his appearance due to a minor medical issue.

“When George meets with recruits,” Stansbury said, “he only guarantees them one thing — that they’ll graduate. He demands excellence, and that’s what he gets.”

In fact, ��AV is No. 3 in the nation for graduating 90 percent of its football players, and is No. 1 in the nation for graduating 95 percent of all its student-athletes combined.

“A lot of people think we’re in the entertainment business,” Stansbury continued. “We’re really in the education business. Our mission is to provide opportunity to young people and develop future leaders. Our job is to use sport to prepare them to compete.”

While there were plenty of laughs, including an anecdote from Clarke about Peelen’s former reporting skills, the morning was really about supporting UCF’s athletes and their academic endeavors. Moreno, Peelen, Pinto & Clark pledged to match gifts up to the first $10,000 raised.

“One of the things we’ve noticed is the quality of the students graduating from UCF,” Moreno Jr. says. “In fact, we just hired another UCF alumnus through the internship program. We’re very proud of the high ranking UCF maintains for graduating athletes.”

Want to help make the academic support center a reality? Contact Chris Huff, associate athletics director of development and executive director of the Golden Knights Club, at��CHuff@athletics.ucf.edu��or 407.823.2205.

The Knights compiled a 3.17 grade-point average for the spring term, the highest student-athlete GPA for a single semester in school history. In addition, UCF student-athletes compiled an average GPA of 3.14 for the 2012-13 academic year, which was also the best mark for the Knights.

“I’m extremely proud of the semester we have had academically and we continue to be strong in this area,” said Kimya Massey, UCF’s Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services and Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes. “We knew it would be a good term overall, but to break records and continue to push the standard even higher is a credit to our student-athletes and their desire to be excellent in whatever they do. I must also complement the ASSA staff for their constant support and willingness to help our student-athletes achieve their goals.”

UCF student-athletes have now recorded an average GPA of 3.0 or better for 11 consecutive semesters. Twelve of the Knights’ 16 sports programs were at or above a 3.0 for the spring term. Individually, 227 Knights student-athletes recorded a spring term GPA of 3.0 or better. Of that number, 27 earned a perfect 4.0 and 61 were at 3.75 or above.

Knight student-athletes said the UCF academic support personnel and their coaches impress upon them the importance of academics.

“Each member of the Academic Services staff does their best to put the student-athlete first,” women’s tennis player Jenna Doerfler said. “I have had nothing but extremely positive experiences with anyone I have worked with on the staff. The staff has always gone out of their way to help the student-athletes who come to them. My coaches have always made the importance of academics clear to us. We have team academic goals at the beginning of each semester. The coaches and staff do a great job working together with us to make sure we’re on track.”

“I believe our fall GPA motivated us and our academic advisor Sarah Hill pushed us all to do even better,” said women’s basketball player Erika Jones. “Our coaches asked about our schoolwork as often as they could, so that was helpful and greatly appreciated.”

Seven of UCF’s athletic teams set program records for spring term GPAs. Football (2.95), men’s basketball (2.85), women’s basketball (3.14), men’s golf (3.43), men’s soccer (3.29), softball (3.42) and track and field (3.31) all recorded the best spring term GPA in their teams’ histories.

Men’s golf led all teams in the spring with a 3.43 GPA, while the top women’s team was softball at 3.42. The UCF volleyball program continued its department-best streak of semesters at 3.0 or above, achieving that mark for the 12th straight term. Men’s basketball and football added to the records, compiling the best academic year GPAs ever for the two programs.

With a clean bill of health, Kimmy enjoyed cheering on the Knights as they had a successful series against the Thundering Herd. She was overjoyed when the entire team signed a Mother’s Day card and joined her for a photo before the final game of the series.

The touching moment was one of many that Kimmy experienced during her battle with cancer as the UCF community rallied to offer encouragement. Kimmy and Lynn have supported UCF student-athletes and coaches in the stands at both home and away games for more than 20 years. The Knights showed the couple that they are part of the UCF family by offering that support right back.

“That was one of the most wonderful days in my life,” Kimmy said of Mother’s Day with the baseball team. “I had my last radiation treatment on Wednesday and we drove to West Virginia on Thursday. The whole team was so nice to us and seemed to appreciate us coming.”

Kimmy, a former teacher, and Lynn, a former football official, do not have children of their own but served as foster parents for several youngsters. When the couple from Titusville was done raising the children, they had more time to attend UCF events, and their love of the university and its student-athletes, coaches and fans began to grow.

“We have met an amazing bunch of people: coaches, players, parents and fans. We have seen some really great things,” Lynn said.

Those great things include nearly every football home and away contest, plus dozens of basketball and baseball games each year on campus and across the nation. Those road trips have only helped the couple connect with the Knights.

“We have gotten to know people. By going on road games, you become more connected with the players,” Kimmy said. “We know their struggles and can pray for them and encourage them academically as well.”

The couple’s love of baseball has always been apparent and was evident a few summers ago when they traveled to Elizabethton, Tenn., (which happens to be Lynn’s hometown) to watch former UCF ace Matt Fox pitch for the Twins’ minor league squad.

Baseball head coach Terry Rooney��says that thoughtful instances like attending the professional game of a former Knight show the dedication and love that the couple has for UCF.

“It has been a great honor to get to know the Trivetts. We are so very fortunate to have a family like that associated with our program,” Rooney said. “Everybody knows them. All of our players know them. We are so appreciative of everything they do. “When you look up in the stands at the UCF baseball complex, you know where they are every single game. Then we look up when we are on the road, and they are there at a handful of away games. That is how much they care.”

The UCF family showed how much they cared about Kimmy and Lynn during her bout with cancer. Not only did the baseball team show its support, but so did student-athletes and coaches from other sports. A.J. Rompza��presented Kimmy with a card and roses, his basketball teammates provided a signed jersey and football coach George O’Leary��stopped by prior to a basketball game to offer encouragement.

“It was wonderful. That was so encouraging and loving,” Kimmy said. “I got very emotional.”

The Trivetts were touched by the concern that the UCF family had for her, just they impact student-athletes and coaches each day with their support.

“No matter what, win or lose, they are always there. They are true supporters, not only for our baseball program, but for every team here at UCF,” Rooney said. “They are part of the family.”

This story appears in the March issue of Knights Insider magazine. The publication, which is published six times per year, provides an inside look at UCF student-athletes, coaches and alumi.

The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I women’s soccer coaches, national soccer media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in women’s soccer. The student-athlete must boast notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.

“I want to thank all the people who supported me and voted for me during the season,” Jewell said. “It represents not only my athletic career, but my life as a part of the UCF and in the community. I am also honored to leave C-USA and UCF with this accomplishment.”

Jewell is the second Conference USA student-athlete in any sport to win the award as Memphis women’s soccer’s Lizzy Simonin was bestowed the honor last year. Jewell was selected as one of 30 candidates for the award in mid-September and made the cut to 10 finalists a month later as Florida’s only women’s soccer representative.

The Satellite Beach native was the fan favorite in the online poll by claiming 24.18 percent of the vote.

“This award is very prestigious, and it is awesome that it recognizes student-athletes not only in their achievements on the field, but off the field as well,” UCF head coach Amanda Cromwell said. “Tishia’s academics and contribution to society have been a relevant part of her experience here at UCF. Compared to a lot of student-athletes around the country, she set herself apart, but she was in great company with the list of finalists. It’s a very special award for a special student-athlete.”

Jewell finished her career as one of the most decorated women soccer players in school history, both on the field and in the classroom.

She has been honored as an NSCAA All-American, a two-time All-Central Region selection and Soccer America MVP. Jewell was a force in C-USA as a three-time all-conference honoree and the 2010 offensive player of the year.

In 2012, she became the program’s career assists (36) leader. She shined in the postseason as she buried a 45-yard goal against Memphis, assisted the game-winning goal against SMU and helped UCF top Tulsa 2-0 during the C-USA Tournament to clinch UCF’s first conference tournament championship.

In the NCAA Tournament first round, she connected on the team’s first PK attempt in its shootout against Miami to help the Knights advance to the second round for the sixth-consecutive year. As a team captain, she helped lead the team to its highest national ranking (No. 6) in the past two decades this season.

Her academic resume speaks for itself as Jewell earned her associate’s degree with honors prior to enrolling at Ů��AV in 2009. She has already graduated with a bachelor’s of science in psychology and began pursuing two master’s degrees in fall 2011. Since her graduate work started, she has carried a GPA of 3.75. She was named UCF’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2011.

She has been recognized as a NSCAA/Adidas Collegiate Scholar All-American, a three-time selection to the C-USA Academic Honor Roll and earned the Commissioner’s Medal (GPA of 3.75 or better) in 2011. This year, she was named to the C-USA All-Academic Team for the second-straight year.

Jewell has volunteered countless hours at numerous local organizations including: The Haven for Children (for abused and neglected youth); Szuba Guardian Care Solutions, Inc.; Women’s Center in Brevard; and Relay for Life. She has also served as the lead volunteer at the Creative School for Children and has worked as a volunteer coach at the Central Florida Kraze soccer fields.

Senior CLASS First-Team All-Americans

UCF’s GSR was 85 percent, up two points from last year’s report. The Knights rank No. 1 among public institutions in the State of Florida and second overall in the state. UCF’s GSR also ranks highest among public institutions in Conference USA and is tied for second overall in the league, behind Rice (95 percent).

UCF also compared well with institutions in the BIG EAST Conference, which the Knights will join on July 1, 2013. UCF would currently rank No. 2 in the BIG EAST among public institutions, behind only Rutgers (88 percent). Among all football-playing members of the BIG EAST, the Knights would tie for third, behind Rutgers and Syracuse (87 percent).

“Results like this come from the hard work of our student-athletes, combined with the culture of academic success that our coaches and academic support staff promote on a daily basis,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury. “We’re all very proud of what our student-athletes are accomplishing.”

The football program finished 13 points above the national average, with an 81-percent mark, compared to 68 percent nationally. It was the sixth consecutive year the football program improved its GSR. Football’s 81 percent was a program-best score. In football, UCF ranks No. 2 in C-USA and would rank No. 2 among BIG EAST public institutions.

Eleven of UCF’s 16 teams improved their GSR from the previous year’s report, while 11 of them were also above the national average for their sport. Three Knight squads – women’s tennis, softball and men’s golf – were at a perfect 100 percent. It was the seventh consecutive season for women’s tennis to record a 100-percent score. Men’s tennis recorded the biggest improvement among Knights programs, jumping 14 percentage points.

“Graduation is obviously the ultimate goal and this report shows that our student-athletes, coaches and academic advisors are doing a great job promoting academic achievement,” said Kimya Massey, Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes. “I’m very proud to work with a group that is so dedicated to success in competition and in the classroom.”

Each week, Academic Services for Student-Athletes gives the UCF coaches academic reports. ASSA is staffed with 11 hard-working individuals ensuring 450 student-athletes are academically successful. ASSA, an office in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services, provides academic tutoring, one-on-one mentoring and academic advising for student-athletes.�� Here is an example of the office’s��and UCF student-athletes’ accomplishments for 2011-12.

“The academic achievements of our student-athletes in the past year are tremendous and should be commended,” noted Kimya Massey, director for ASSA. “It’s really exciting to see how well our students are doing both in and out of the classroom. Their collective efforts further demonstrate the work ethic and commitment to excellence they have and I have no doubt that will carry over into this coming year.”

Eight of UCF’s 16 teams recorded perfect single-year Academic Progress Rate scores of 1,000.��Men’s golf, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s soccer, women’s tennis, women’s indoor track and field, women’s outdoor track and field and women’s volleyball each had scores of 1,000. Four Knights squads posted perfect scores in the previous year’s report.

Meanwhile, 14 of UCF’s programs either improved on their score from the previous report or tallied consecutive perfect marks. In addition to the eight teams previously mentioned, baseball, men’s basketball, football, men’s soccer, men’s tennis and women’s rowing each increased their scores.

Wednesday’s release includes data from the 2010-11 academic year and lists the multi-year APR by sport, which averages the last four reporting years.

While the NCAA does not compile an overall department one-year average, the Knights’ average score for 2010-11 was 985, up 16 points. This is the seventh consecutive year the average APR score of UCF’s 16 sports improved from the previous year. UCF’s overall multi-year average for the entire athletic department was 975.

Ten of UCF’s 16 programs turned in multi-year averages at or above the national average for their respective sports.

“This is a tribute to the hard work of our student-athletes and to our coaches and academic support staff who create an environment for our student athletes to achieve both academically and athletically,” UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury said. “As educators, I believe we are developing future leaders through the intercollegiate athletics experience. Results like this serve as an indicator that is happening.”

Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes Kimya Massey said the credit for the Knights’ academic success belongs mainly to three critical�� groups.

“I would attribute our academic success to the amazing level of balance our student-athletes have sustained both on and off the field,” Massey said. “Our coaching staffs have invested in recruiting high-quality student-athletes, who display the character and determination to succeed academically. In addition, the academic advising staff works tirelessly to help students succeed and reach their goals both on and off the field. They are extremely selfless in their dedication to these great student-athletes.”

The NCAA uses the multi-year average to track a program’s overall academic progress. The multi-year rate takes the last four reports into account.

The UCF football program had another solid year in the classroom. The Knights posted a multi-year average of 974, which is 26 points higher than the national average. Head coach George O’Leary’s team was tied for the 18th-best multi-year APR average in the nation among Football Bowl Subdivision programs. UCF would rank in the top 10 nationally among public FBS institutions, exempting the service academies. The Knights also ranked No. 2 in Conference USA and would rank No. 3 among football programs from public institutions in the BIG EAST.

Another example of UCF’s success in the classroom was displayed by head coach Terry Rooney’s baseball team. The baseball program tallied a 986 score and came in 21 points above the national multi-year average.

None of UCF’s teams fell below the 925 multi-year threshold, where teams could be penalized by the NCAA. It is the fifth-straight year the Knights have seen each of their teams come in above the threshold.

The APR provides a “snapshot” look at a team’s academic success on a yearly basis. The APR score takes into account graduation, retention and eligibility to determine a clear picture of the current academic culture of a program. The NCAA began compiling this data in 2004.

This positive news comes on the heels of the UCF women’s tennis program earning an NCAA public recognition award for its APR. Public recognition awards are given to programs with multi-year APR totals in the top 10 percent of the nation as compared to other teams in that sport. Head coach Stephanie Nickitas’ women’s tennis program has now compiled a perfect 1,000 score for four-consecutive years.