The University of Texas Permian Basin student-athletes continue to raise the standard for academic success during the Spring semester, recording a school-record 3.22 cumulative department GPA. The previous school record was 3.173 which was set in the Spring of the 2020 academic school year. The achievement reflects the ongoing dedication of Falcon student-athletes excelling in the classroom while balancing the demands of collegiate competition. 

"I am so proud of our student athletes! We have talked constantly about building a culture of excellence, and nothing reflects that more than this achievement. To break the school record in GPA proves that this group understands exactly what it means to be exceptional student athletes that go far beyond the playing surface," said Kelci Martinez, Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance and Student Success. "The 3.22 department GPA speaks volume about their character, their work ethic, and their leadership! A big thank you to our academic partners Dr. Raj, Dr. Frawley, Academic Advising, Deans, Faculty, and our FAR, Cate Bedard for their continued support and commitment to our student athletes, coaches, and athletic department! Go Falcons!"  

Among the department's 301 student-athletes, a school-record 56 achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA during the semester, while 165 posted a GPA of 3.0 or higher, underscoring the program's continued academic excellence across all sports. The previous school record for 4.0s (53) was also achieved in Spring of 2020. 

Several programs led the way academically this Spring, highlighted by the women's teams. Women's tennis posted a department-best 3.78 GPA, followed by women's golf at 3.75, women's basketball at 3.55 and softball at 3.42. On the men's side, men's golf led the department with a 3.39 GPA (fifth overall), followed by baseball at 3.31 (seventh overall) and men's swimming & diving at 3.30 (eighth overall). 

Overall, UTPB female student-athletes recorded a combined GPA of 3.30, while male student-athletes finished with a collective 3.10 GPA. 

The department's emphasis on academic achievement also extended beyond team GPAs, as Falcon student-athletes collected 38 conference and national academic honors throughout the Spring semester. 

The swimming & diving program led many of those individual accomplishments. On the men's side, Colin Doyle, Tommy Betancour, Niklas Heelein and Chase Alderman, along with Rowan McWhorter and Alondra Ortiz from the women's team, earned First Team Academic All-RMAC honors. 

Additionally, Colin Doyle, Niklas Heelein, Owen Putnam and Chase Alderman from the men's swimming & diving team, along with Rowan McWhorter from the women's program, were selected to the 2025-26 Academic All-District® Team by College Sports Communicators (CSC). To be eligible for CSC Academic All-District, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher and must be a standout in competition. 

The swim & dive team also placed 10 student-athletes on the RMAC Academic Honor Roll, recognizing student-athletes who maintain at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA while meeting conference eligibility requirements. Eight men's swimmers and two women's swimmers earned the distinction: 

Men: Massimo Alarcon, Chase Alderman, Tommy Betancour, Colin Doyle, Zane Garner, Niklas Heelein, Owen Putnam and Owen Ward. 
Women: Rowan McWhorter and Alondra Ortiz. 

Academic success continued throughout other Falcon programs as well. 

Men's basketball team captains Kyle McElroy and Tash Lunday were selected to the 2025-26 CSC Academic All-District® Team after starting all 28 games for UTPB this season. 

Women's basketball saw Kenadi Rising, Jonesha Neal and Crystal Jones earn CSC Academic All-District® honors. 

On the tennis courts, Lucas Nakasato represented the men's team, while Sophia Rashid, Dinethya Dharmaratne and Mattea Bowe were recognized from the women's team as CSC Academic All-District selections. 

Additional academic recognition across Falcon Athletics included two baseball student-athletes, two softball student-athletes and four golf student-athletes earning CSC All-District honors. Softball All-District selections will be announced on March 26, while baseball honorees will be recognized on June 2, followed by men's and women's golf on June 16. 

The continued success in the classroom reflects UTPB Athletics' commitment to developing well-rounded student-athletes and reinforces the department's mission of pursuing excellence both in competition and in academics.