By The Numbers: Sun Devil Academic Notes in 2023-24

1
Academic excellence! For the third consecutive season, the Sun Devils ranked atop the Pac-12 Conference in Academic Progress Rate (APR), recording a multi-year average of 994 over a four-year period (2019-20 to 2022-23). Since the 2015-16 academic year, ASU has averaged a 990-plus for each multi-year APR cohort that has been released.

3
The number of Sun Devils to win Elite 90 awards, an award founded by the NCAA that recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. Women's Swim's Lindsay Looney, Men's Swim's Tiago Behar and Beach Volleyball's Adriana Nieves Papaleo were the Sun Devil recipients in 2023-24.

3
A trio of Sun Devils earned Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year honors, an award given to student-athletes who are a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum one year in residence at the institution. Women's Tennis' Marianna Argyrokastriti, Women's Swim's Lindsay Looney and Lacrosse's Gigi Gaspar earned the award this academic year.

3.49
Sun Devil Baseball set new program-bests in both semester GPA and team cumulative GPA, as the team combined for a 3.49 GPA in the spring.

3.51
Seniors graduating in the spring teamed up to post a collective 3.51 GPA in the spring semester.

3.63
Sun Devil Soccer's team GPA for the spring semester, up from the 3.62 mark they set in the fall.

3.87
Sun Devil Water Polo's team GPA for the spring semester.

3.89
What a year for Sun Devil Triathlon! After winning a seventh consecutive national title in November, the team rallied to post a collective 3.89 GPA in the spring semester.
 4.00
The GPA of sophomore sensation Jonny Kulow of Men's Swim, which helped him land CSC Division-I Academic All-America Team Member of the Year honors this season. The Academic All-America program celebrates the combination of athletic and academic achievement. Nominated student-athletes have a cumulative GPA above 3.50 and compete in at least four contests during the season. In addition to leading Sun Devil Men's Swim & Dive to the first national title in team history in March, Kulow has established himself as a leader in and out of the pool in his first two seasons.
 6
Six teams continued streaks of perfect multiyear APR scores. Men's golf currently has the longest streak with ten in a row, followed by women's golf and gymnastics, both with eight in a row. Men's tennis has six-consecutive perfect multiyear scores, beach volleyball right behind them with five and softball is building their streak, this being their fourth time in row with a perfect score.

6
The number of Sun Devil Wrestlers who will be enrolled in or beginning Master's programs by December 2024. It was a historic year for Zeke Jones' Sun Devils, who were one of two schools to finish top-10 at the NCAA Championships and top-30 in the country in team GPA. The team's 3.42 semester GPA and cumulative GPA also set a new all-time high for the program.

6
Six Sun Devil hockey players were selected as AHCA/Krampade All-American Scholars, marking the most selected in a single season from ASU in the eight-year history of the award. The ASU players include Ryan Alexander (Recreation Therapy), Gibson Homer (Economics), Ty and Dylan Jackson (Business Data Analytics), Brandon Tabakin (Digital Audiences), and TJ Semptimphelter (Finance).

ASU has the second-most scholars earning the award out of all nine National Collegiate Hockey Conference schools. 

6
Six Sun Devils were named to the CSC Academic All-District At-Large teams, an honor that recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom. Ryggs Johnston (Men's Golf), Ashley Menne (Women's Golf), Jada Mangahas (Gymnastics), Emily White (Gymnastics), Adriana Nieves Papaleo (Beach Volleyball) and Gigi Gaspar (Lacrosse) were the six Sun Devil recipients, as they'll advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot with winners announced July 16-17.
 
7
Seven from Sun Devil Water Polo were named to the 2024 MPSF All-Academic Team, marking a fourth consecutive season with six or more selections. Abby Begg, Zoe Frangieh, Lara Kiss, Luca Petovary, Emily Van Zonneveld, Sophie Shorter-Robinson and Alba Olivé Martí were this season's recipients.

10
Ten Sun Devil teams – men's basketball, men's cross country, men's golf, men's swimming and diving, men's tennis, softball, women's golf, gymnastics, beach volleyball and volleyball – earned a place in the top-10 percent in the nation for APR, as all recorded a perfect 1000.

12
A dozen from Sun Devil Gymnastics were named to the Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll, marking the second consecutive season the program has put 12 on the list. The Sun Devils have 79 total athletes make the conference's Winter honor roll list, as five programs had double-digit student-athletes receive the honors.

13
The number of Sun Devil Soccer players who are a member of the prestigious Barrett, The Honors College. Soccer leads all teams on campus with honors college students, courtesy of Eva Allen, Sarah Donick, Olivia Herrera, Andrea Kraetzer, Ashley Leonhart, Kayla Letcher, Savannah Maley, Brianna Nunley, Ella Opkvitne, Edie Grace Priest, Emilie Simpson, Mya Wheeler and Ava Wright.

Sun Devils in Barrett, The Honors College 2023-24

43
The percentage of the senior class that made the Dean's List throughout the 2023-24 academic year.

50
A total of 50 student-athletes across six teams were named to the 2023 Pac-12 Fall Academic Honor Roll, led by Soccer (13), Women's Cross Country (9) and Football (9).

137
Sun Devil Athletics celebrated graduation in early May, recognizing 137 Sun Devil student-athletes who are set to graduate across both the spring and summer. Including fall graduates (28), a total of 165 Sun Devil student-athletes received their degrees in 2023-24. A total of 58 student-athletes graduated with honors, including 26 summa cum laude (3.80 to 4.00 GPA), 16 magna cum laude (3.60 to 3.79 GPA), and 16 cum laude (3.40 to 3.59 GPA).
 
Five student-athletes graduated from Barrett, The Honors College.

Sun Devil Athletics Celebrates 2024 Spring and Summer Graduates

Thank you, Jean Boyd!
In December 2023, Sun Devil Athletics announced a new all-time high GSR of 93 percent, as 13 teams posted 100 percent marks. Ranked third in the Pac-12 Conference, the department extended its streak of either maintaining or surpassing its all-time best GSR every year since 2008.

Many credit the academic ascent to Jean Boyd, the department's Deputy Athletics Director, who was committed to elevating the opportunities and resources in-place to aid the development of student-athletes. He created organizations and systems, sayings and mantras, and breathed culture into a department when it needed it most, like his Scholar Baller program, aimed at combining excellence in athletics and academics by honoring athletes who hold a 3.0 GPA or higher.

After three-plus decades in Tempe, Boyd announced in March a plan to retire at the beginning of May.

Sun Devil Athletics interviewed a half-dozen people to help tell the story of Jean Boyd – the former student-athlete who used his passion, purpose and profession to transform the lives of the hundreds he encountered along the way.