JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (January 6, 2009) -Over the past few years ETSU student-athletes have continued to excel both on the athletic field and in the classroom. After a record-breaking year in 2007-2008, Buccaneer student-athletes not only sustained what it means to be a student first, but pushed it to a new level this fall, improving from last fall's numbers in all areas.

The fall of 2008 semester grade reports were recently released and ETSU student-athletes combined to post the athletic department's highest overall cumulative GPA all-time with a 3.15; while non-student athletes enrolled at ETSU only had a 3.03 GPA for the fall semester. Furthermore, Buccaneer student-athletes also raised their A-Sun All-Academic numbers by six percent, as an incredible 61-percent of eligible student-athletes received the honor. Of the 14 ETSU athletic teams, 13 of the squads posted a GPA of 2.8 (B- average) or higher with 11 earning a team GPA of 3.0 or better.

"I am extremely proud of the academic accomplishments of our student-athletes this fall. But I am not surprised at all," said ETSU Athletic Director Dave Mullins. "Their individual and collective achievements are a tribute to their commitment to excellence, their coaches' mentoring and the guidance of our academic support staff. This significant improvement is another indication of the progress we continue to make to develop the best athletic department possible and to create the right environment for our outstanding student-athletes to succeed in all areas."

Additionally, of the 227 student-athletes at ETSU this fall, 154 (68 percent) earned Buccaneer Honor Roll, posting a 3.0 GPA or better. Also this fall semester, 66 Buccaneer student-athletes posted a 3.7 GPA or better, (14 athletes with a 4.0 GPA) earning a spot on the school's deans list. This accomplishment marked a 94 percent improvement from fall 2007.