Athletics Engagement and Academic Report: Spring 2021

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine—At the conclusion of the semester, Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) Director of Athletics Matt Richards published the findings of the semi-annual Spring 2021 Athletics Engagement and Academic Report. The report shows student-athlete GPAs and retention rates based on United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) normal progress rules for athletic participation eligibility—a higher threshold than those standards of the College.

Spring 2021

• Total student-athletes: 89 (23 fewer than spring 2020)
• Overall student-athlete GPA: 2.84 (.15 points better than spring 2020, and the best of the previous 12 semesters)
• Spring 2021-fall 2021 USCAA retention rate: 88% (equal to spring 2020 and two percentage points better than spring 2019)
• Student-athletes earning a 3.0 GPA or better: 47 (53% of all student-athletes and the best of the previous 12 semesters)

In strategic review of the data, Richards stated, “The department staff is proud of the efforts made by student-athletes who continued to make progress toward their academic degree programs using the online learning method. The benefit of athletics for those students recruited to the College is a unique face-to-face mentorship program that has its success in the classroom. Without seasons this spring and limited training due to COVID-19 precautions, our athletics staff met the challenge by employing creative and remote initiatives to help lessen the severity of the impacts. These initiatives included remote study halls, progress report sheets, and one-on-one advising. I look forward to another successful semester as we return to full competition and a hybrid learning method in the fall!”

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