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<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Jan. 3, 2022</span></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Baylor Athletics Records Exemplary Academic Semester</span></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Bears had six sports set new fall semester GPA highs</span></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">For more information contact: </span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Katy Gilmore, 254-252-2182, </span><a href="mailto:katy_gilmore@baylor.edu" title="mailto:katy_gilmore@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1">katy_gilmore@baylor.edu</span></a><u><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1"> </span></u><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>WACO, Texas – </b>Baylor Athletics ended the fall semester with a record-setting 308 total Academic Champions (54 percent), a mark for those who reached a GPA of 3.50 or higher, earned a personal best GPA, or graduated in the fall term,
which is the highest fall term on record. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Setting another record, Baylor Athletics also has the highest current cumulative GPA at 3.36 and the second highest term GPA on record (3.37), only behind Spring 2020.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The fall term brought about record-setting term GPAs for baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, football, soccer and volleyball. Of those setting new term GPA bests, soccer led the way with a 3.71 fall term GPA.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">“The success and fortitude of our student-athletes is unmatched,” said Ramone Cooper, Associate AD of Academic Services</span>.<span style="color:black"> “Despite still being faced with challenges presented by
a global pandemic, our students have proven to embrace a culture of striving for their <i>Personal Best </i>each and every semester. This is evident by a record-setting fall term in which we have seen our highest cumulative GPA in Baylor history, 3.36, among
other impressive academic accolades. Achieving such historic feats would not be possible without the support of our Academic Services staff. We not only have an impressive group of student-athletes, but an outstanding team of academic coaches, learning specialists,
and a tutor coordinator that not only supports these students but champions their pursuit of academic excellence.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the classroom, 129 athletes recorded a new personal best term, with 427 of all Baylor student-athletes (75 percent) achieving a 3.00 or higher GPA. Football led the way with 33 student-athletes achieving a new personal best, whereas
women’s tennis led all teams with 60 percent of their roster earning the honor. <o:p>
</o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">“Our culture of overachievement at Baylor is what makes this such a special university,” said Aaron Tebo, Assistant AD of Academic Services</span>.<span style="color:black"> “Whether it’s in academic achievement,
athletic success, character formation or spiritual growth, our student-athletes continue to prove they are the standard in college athletics. Couple that with a team of academic coaches, learning specialists, and tutor coordinator who are truly the best in
the country and there is no limit to the success our student-athletes can achieve.”</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">An impressive 70 Baylor student-athletes finished the term with a perfect 4.00 GPA, led by women’s track with 13 and followed by acrobatics & tumbling with 10. Three programs, football, soccer and women’s cross country, boasted six with
perfect GPA’s.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">153 student-athletes made Baylor’s Dean’s List,<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">
</span>with a term GPA of 3.70 or higher. Women’s track and field led the charge with 24 on the list and followed closely by acrobatics & tumbling with 23.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">“We constantly encourage our student-athletes to be better than they were yesterday in everything they do, whether on the field, in the classroom or through their work with our Character Formation team,” said Emily
DeRatt, Director of Academic Services. “Numbers don’t necessarily measure success if you’re not challenging yourself to grow. Our student-athletes have continuously accepted our challenge to pursue what academic excellence means to them individually. To have
a semester where a third of our students earned their personal best GPA speaks to that and our mission of Preparing Champions for Life.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">The athletics term GPA of 3.36 marks the 27<sup>th</sup>-consecutive semester above a 3.0 GPA. It also marks the 22<sup>nd</sup>-consecutive semester with above a 3.1 GPA and makes 15 of the last 17 semesters with
above a 3.2 GPA.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">“We are extremely proud of what our students have been able to accomplish this semester,” said Lauren Kirby, Director of Learning Support. “Our students and staff continue to persevere and succeed as they navigate
ever-changing circumstances. This semester was a team effort and everyone bought into the mission of personal best and working to ensure we provide the resources so every student has the opportunity to achieve theirs.”</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="color:black">www.BaylorBears.com</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black">__________________________________</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:6.5pt;color:black"> </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#154734">Katy Gilmore</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black"> | Associate Director of Athletic Communications</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">O: 254-710-2743 | C: 254-252-2182</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/" title="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D800BD.35A3B610" alt="cidimage002.png@01D79F3C.9D2300D0"></span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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