SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference has released its academic honor roll for the 2023-24 academic year, with a 2,473 student-athletes from the 10 member institutions and nine associate members earning the distinction. Wofford had a conference-best 289 student-athletes recognized, topping the school record of 285 in the 2021-22 academic year.
The academic honor roll originated in 1988-89, when SoCon athletic directors established the award as a way to recognize the league's outstanding student-athletes. The academic honor roll consists of student-athletes who participated in varsity sports and posted a 3.0 grade point average or higher, were eligible the entire academic year and were members of the final squad lists.
"As a conference, we're proud to recognize the emphasis our institutions place on the academic performance of each of the athletes named to the SoCon Academic Honor Roll," SoCon Commissioner Michael Cross said. "Balancing academics with athletic commitments requires excellence, dedications and personal investment on the part of the student athlete. It's also imperative to acknowledge our appreciation for the academic advisors, counselors, and faculty who invest in these athletes to ensure they succeed in their endeavors."
Of this year's qualifiers, 743 earned the Commissioner's Medal, awarded to student-athletes who attain a GPA of 3.8 or higher throughout the year, and 274 posted perfect 4.0 GPAs.
Wofford had 81 student-athletes earn the Commissioner's medal (ten more than last year), while 18 had a 4.0 during the academic year – Havalynn Abernathy (softball), Will Berger (men's cross country/track), Ava Cooper (women's track), Sumter Cooper (men's track), Don Douglass (men's basketball), Hayden Fredericks (women's soccer), Mary Liese Grier (women's soccer), Meara Kelly (women's soccer), Millie Loehr (volleyball), Ellie Maxson (women's soccer), Ahmad Miles (men's track), James Moon (men's cross country/track), Cedric Otten (men's golf), Irene Pardo (women's track), Diego Reyes (men's soccer), Taylor Stingel (women's track), Grace Stout (women's tennis) and Satya Tarafdar (women's soccer).
Wofford paced the league with 289 members on the honor roll, while Samford was second with 287 and Chattanooga was third with 263. Each of the SoCon's 10 full members had at least 73 student-athletes on the list and seven of them surpassed 200.
The honor roll includes all 20 sports sponsored by the SoCon in 2023-24. It does not include the non-sponsored sports of swimming and diving, water polo, triathlon, men's and women's lacrosse and beach volleyball, as they are recognized by their respective conferences.
