UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State had a total of 103 student-athletes earn Winter Academic All-Big Ten recognition, announced by the conference office on Wednesday. The total is Penn State’s third-highest Winter Academic All-Big Ten number of honorees and second-highest number of honorees with non-alternate grading, second to the 2021-22 when Penn State had 124 student-athletes earn the accolade.
To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be on a varsity team (as verified by being on the official squad lists as of March 1 for winter sports), have been enrolled full time at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Will Fleck from men’s gymnastics, Cassidy Rushlow from women’s gymnastics and Aaron Nagao from wrestling all posted unblemished 4.0 GPAs.
Among those on the list of honorees is wrestling’s Levi Haines, who most recently won his second Big Ten individual title. The sophomore was also named to the NWCA National All-Academic Team last season for his performance in and out of the classroom.
Women’s swimming & diving team led Penn State for the sixth consecutive year with 23 Academic All-Big Ten honorees. The men’s swimming and diving team earned 20 honorees, giving the program a total of 43 selections. Men’s hockey followed with 17 and women’s gymnastics landed 14 on the list.
Team by Team Honorees
- Women’s Swimming & Diving – 23
- Men’s Swimming & Diving – 20
- Men’s Hockey – 17
- Women’s Gymnastics – 14
- Wrestling – 11
- Men’s Gymnastics – 9
- Women’s Basketball – 7
- Men’s Basketball – 2
The Penn State athletic department registered 116 fall honorees. The latest 103 winter selections bring Penn State’s total academic honorees to 8,521 since 1991-92.
Penn State Highest Winter Academic All-Big Ten Totals (3.0 GPA):
- 2021-22 – 123 (*school record)
- 2020-21 – 106 (*alternative grading due to COVID-19 pandemic)
- 2023-24 - 103
- 2022-23 – 102
- 2018-19 – 91
- 2019-20 – 82
- 2015-16 – 79
Graduation Success Rates
Penn State student-athletes continue to register record-breaking graduation rates and perform well above their peers nationwide. The Nittany Lions posted a record-tying 93% NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and 13 programs earned perfect 100% ratings. This is the seventh consecutive year the Nittany Lions posted a record or record-tying performance in the classroom, according to data reported by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The NCAA's annual graduation rates report of Division I institutions across the nation revealed Penn State student-athletes at the University Park campus earned a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 93% to break the school's all-time record, which was previously set in the 2020, 2021 and NCAA reports. Nittany Lion students posted a 93% graduation rate compared to the 90% average for all Division I institutions for students entering from 2013-14 through the 2016-17 academic year.
Penn State student-athletes have logged a GSR in the 88-93% range during each of the past 17 NCAA reports, improving from 88% in the 2015 report to a record-breaking 93% report in the most recent report.
Penn State among the nation's premier athletic programs in comprehensive excellence
Under the leadership of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft, Penn State has one of the nation's most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, featuring 800 student-athletes across 31 varsity programs (16 men's, 15 women's). The Nittany Lions' 31 programs are tied for the fourth-highest number of sports sponsored by a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution.
Penn State student-athletes earned a record 93% NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and 12 programs earned perfect 100% ratings in the 2023 report. This is the seventh consecutive year the Nittany Lions have posted a record or record-tying performance in the classroom. Penn State is one of six schools that have won at least 10 NCAA Championships since 2013 and earned at least a 90% GSR in the 2023 NCAA report (California, Florida, Stanford, USC, Virginia).