Four GPS Athletic Teams Earn TSSAA Distinguished Scholastic Achievement Awards

The TSSAA has recognized GPS’s cross country, golf, soccer, and volleyball teams with its Distinguished Scholastic Achievement Award for outstanding academic achievement in the fall semester of the current school year. All four teams excelled in the classroom by meeting the highest standard set by the state high school association, an average team GPA of 3.5 or higher.

 

While GPS has received similar recognition from the TSSAA in previous years, this fall may have been the Bruisers’ strongest to date. Two teams – cross country and golf – finished with average GPA’s above 3.9. Both teams fielded a roster of athletes in which over two-thirds finished the fall semester with a GPA of 4.0 or higher.

 

In addition to its team awards, the TSSAA also recognized individual achievement for athletes who complete the semester with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. In the fall of 2023, 66 GPS student-athletes reached this mark including 29 from the soccer team and 19 from cross country. This number represented a 43% increase from the total number of GPS athletes who received this recognition last fall. There were also six identified from golf and 12 from volleyball. Of those 66 total athletes who received individual recognition, 33 had a GPA of at least 4.0.

 

“We are consistently impressed with what our girls are able to accomplish on the athletic fields, and their academic performances are just as remarkable,” said Jay Watts, Director of Athletics at GPS. “We have an amazing faculty here at GPS who support our girls in and out of the classroom. Our teachers, deans, and support staff help our girls stay on track when they have to leave school early for athletic events. The statistics represented by these TSSAA awards really show that our student-athletes can maximize their potential in everything they do.”