HARROGATE, Tenn. – Lincoln Memorial University's over 370 student-athletes combined to post a cumulative 3.22 grade-point average in the fall semester, sustaining a long run of academic success for the athletics department. 
 
Of the department's 22 sponsored sports, 19 finished with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, including all 12 women's sports. Of those 19, seven recorded a GPA of 3.4 or higher. 
 
The women's tennis program led the department with a remarkable 3.85 team GPA, while the men's tennis squad was second with a 3.47 mark. Women's cross country (3.45), women's bowling (3.44), women's volleyball and beach volleyball (3.44), and women's basketball (3.42) also finished with impressive team GPAs. 
 
Several individuals were lauded for their academic accomplishments earlier this month. 
 
Women's volleyball senior libero Erica Whiteaker was tabbed as the Google Cloud Academic All-American of the Year for the second consecutive year, as the Kingston Springs, Tenn., native has a spotless 4.0 GPA as a biology/pre-med major. She is only the third NCAA Division II women's volleyball player to win the award twice. 
 
During the winter commencement that was held on December 8, women's golfer Lise Malherbe was the valedictorian, while men's cross country and track runner Jorge Hernandez was the salutatorian. It marked the second straight graduation that a student-athlete was the valedictorian as Malherbe followed in the footsteps of baseball player Logan Augustine. 
 
Last year, Lincoln Memorial placed a department-record 150 student-athletes on the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll, which requires a 3.30 GPA or better.