Smart Play: NJIT Athletics Boasts a 25-Semester Streak in the Classroom
3.49 is not a baseball ERA, basketball steals per game, volleyball block average, or any other athletic statistic measured of the Highlanders this spring semester. Rather, it is their impressive cumulative grade point average.
This semester marks the 25th straight that Highlander student athletes have held above a 3.0 GPA—a streak extending over 12 years.
Throughout this time, many obstacles stood in their path to academic excellence: the move from Division III to Division I, several conference changes (including a stint as the only DI school competing without a conference affiliation), a handful of national upsets, a rehoming into the Wellness and Events Center, as well as negotiating new learning modes due to the pandemic.
56 student-athletes achieved a 4.0 GPA in the spring. 67.6% made the Dean's List.
Enduring and unwavering, the Highlanders have had a laser-like focus on their academic pursuits.
"We pride ourselves on the fact that we have true student-athletes at NJIT,” said Lenny Kaplan, associate vice president and director of Athletics. “They embody exactly what it means to achieve on a very high-level both academically and athletically. Our coaches do a great job in identifying Division I caliber athletes that are driven to achieve in the classroom as well. We couldn't be more proud of all of their accomplishments.”
Coruscating standouts from this class seem to be the norm, not the exception.
Senior track and field athlete Matthew DaSilva was named a Newark College of Engineering Outstanding Senior for his biomedical engineering research in clinical gait analysis in the motion capture laboratory.
Fencing phenom Marina Arrese lunged and parried her way through her business degree with a 4.0—in only three years. Arrese earned the NCAA’s Elite 90 award, which is awarded to the student with the highest GPA among all competitors at a finals site. She is the second Highlander in the women’s fencing program history to do so.
All-Academic volleyball team member Logan Heft, who also completed his degree early and served as co-president of the business school’s investment fund (with Arrese), will be heading to the Ivy League for his master’s in data science at Brown University.
Soccer defenseman Roberto Adamson had the honor of carrying the NCE gonfalon in this year’s commencement ceremony. He was one of ten America East Presidential Scholar-Athletes from NJIT, and finished with a perfect GPA. The list goes on.
14% of the student-athletes are enrolled in the Albert Dorman Honors College.
Now that summer is here Highlanders can breathe a sigh of exultant relief. Meanwhile, the baseball team has a streak of their own (nine straight wins) and continues to march forward. The team has made program history and will play in its first Division I tournament against Arkansas on Friday, June 4 at 3 p.m., with the game being streamed live on ESPN3.