June 8, 2009

AUSTIN, Texas -- At The University of Texas, athletic excellence is an expectation. Conference titles and national championships are regular conversation topics, and the collegiate competitors who make it all happen receive constant national attention.

Sometimes lost in the shuffle is the fact that, in addition to their on-field exploits, they are more than athletes -- they're student-athletes. But the Longhorns just completed an academic year that makes it impossible to overlook their classroom success.

For the Spring 2009 semester, 235 student-athletes -- more than 60 percent -- earned a 3.0 GPA or better, and, remarkably, 36 student-athletes made perfect 4.0 GPAs. In addition, all but three Men's and Women's varsity programs earned team GPAs of 3.0 or better.

"Our goal is to have all of our teams reach a 3.0 GPA or better each semester," said Dr. Randa Ryan, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Student Services. "This spring we were very close to achieving that goal, and this gives great value to all the hard work from our students, the academic staff and the coaches."

The numbers cap off an impressive academic season for the Longhorns, as more than 55 student-athletes will receive their degrees this Spring and Fall. In addition, the Men's Basketball and Softball programs received public recognition awards from the NCAA for their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate. Both teams posted multi-year APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in their sports.

And for a few Longhorns, their education will not end with their athletic careers at UT.

Football's Chris Ogbonnaya and Soccers's Stephanie Logterman were just announced as recipients of the Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarship.

Ogbonnaya is the fifth member of the Texas Football team to receive such an honor since 2001, while Logterman is just the second Soccer player in UT history to earn the distinction.

The NCAA Postgradute Scholarship was created in 1964 to promote and encourage postgraduate education. Athletics and academic achievements, as well as campus involvement and community service, are evaluated.

"Stephanie Logterman has been one of our highest achieving students in the history of Texas Athletics," Ryan said. "A postgraduate scholarship is just the explanation point at the end of her career at The University, which she has represented so well."

Said Brian Davis, Associate Athletics Director for Student Services over Football: "Chris Ogbonnaya's postgraduate scholarship is a testament to his hard work and great character. He is wise enough to know that, while he has a great opportunity to continue his career in the NFL, that career will only be a short time relative to the rest of his life. He will use this scholarship to obtain his law degree and pursue his 'second' career."