Water polo players Viktoria Tamas '20 and Andrea De Nardi '20 earned the NCAA Elite 90 award for their academic and athletic performance during the 2017-18 academic year. Both earned 4.0 grade-point averages in their respective academic programs. They were among more than 20 student-athletes who earned a 4.0 GPA during the fall semester and 31 in the spring semester.

Tigers are tops on the field and in the classroom

The Pacific student-athletes wrapped up a stellar 2017-18 academic year in not only their respective sports but in the classroom as well. 

"We are extremely proud of how well our student-athletes performed in the classroom this past year," said Danielle Kelly, assistant director of athletics for student-athlete services. "Our Tigers compete at the highest levels both in the classroom and on the field or court."

During the fall semester, 20 student-athletes received a 4.0 grade-point average (GPA). In the spring, that number grew to 31 student-athletes earning a 4.0 GPA, which is the highest achievement over the last three academic years. For the teams as a whole, 12 of 18 teams earned a GPA of 3.0 or above in fall 2017 with an overall team average of 3.10 across all sports. In the spring, 14 teams held a 3.0 GPA or better for a 3.13 average. For the 2017-18 academic year, the Tigers registered an overall team GPA of 3.12.

"We have achieved our highest numbers in five of nine categories over the last three academic years, which shows how hard our programs are working to develop not only the athlete but the student," Kelly continued.

During the 2017-18 academic year, 50 Tigers student-athletes were recognized for their academic achievement in the 17th annual WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll, 17 receiving gold honors for achieving grade point averages of 3.75 or higher. In addition, 57 student-athletes received All-Academic honors for academic achievement in their respective sports in men's baseball, women's basketball, beach volleyball, women's field hockey, men's golf, women's softball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, women's volleyball and women's water polo.

In addition, nine field hockey players were selected to the Zag Field Hockey/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I National Academic Squad, six men's water polo players were named to the Association of College Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-Academic Men's Scholar-Athlete team, the women's cross country team earned team All-Academic honors for their cumulative GPA, and the women's swimming team earned The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America team award. The women's volleyball team received the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award.

The year concluded with the announcement of two Pacific student-athletes earning the NCAA Elite 90 Award. Members of the men's and women's water polo teams — Andrea De Nardi '20 and Viktoria Tamas '20 — were recognized as two out of 37 Division I student-athletes with the highest cumulative GPAs who have competed in the NCAA final tournament. De Nardi, a sophomore from France, holds a 4.0 GPA in engineering management, while Tamas, a sophomore from Hungary, compiled a 4.0 GPA in business administration.

"This honor is a significant achievement for our students, given the challenges athletes face with balancing the demands academics and athletics," Kelly said.