NEWARK, DE -- University of Delaware student-athletes enjoyed a successful season during the 2006-07 academic year not only on the playing fields but in the classroom as well.

The nearly 600 Blue Hen student-athletes, among the 23 UD athletics teams, recorded an average grade point index of 2.868 (on a 4.00 scale) during the 2006-07 academic year.

Of the 23 UD intercollegiate athletics teams, 11 squads had a team grade point index average of 3.00 or better for the year and four more recorded an average of 2.94 or better.

“We are extremely proud of our student-athletes here at the University of Delaware not only for talents on the playing field but also for their impressive accomplishments in the classroom,” said University of Delaware Director of Athletics Edgar N. Johnson. “Our student-athletes consistently outperform the general student body in terms of graduation and retention rates and that is a testament to the hard work of the athletes themselves, our coaching staff, and our Student Services for Athletes department.”

The Blue Hen women’s cross country team led all UD athletics teams with a squad average gpa of 3.258 while the women’s outdoor track and field (3.252), women’s indoor track and field (3.189), men’s cross country (3.144), women’s swimming (3.139), field hockey (3.115), women’s soccer (3.113), women’s tennis (3.097), softball (3.097), volleyball (3.092), women’s rowing (3.073), and men’s tennis (3.055) all had a team average in excess of 3.00.

Other UD programs that posted a team gpa of 2.9 or better were men’s indoor track and field (2.997), men’s outdoor track and field (2.983), men’s swimming (2.958), and men’s soccer (2.944).

A total of 132 student-athletes earned recognition on the Dean’s List during the Fall, 2007 semester with women’s outdoor track and field (24), women’s indoor track and field (20), women’s rowing (13), field hockey (13), women’s cross country (12), women’s swimming (12), and men’s outddoor track and field (10) having the most awad recipients.