UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Athletics saw 117 student-athletes earn Academic All-Big Ten honors for the fall 2024 semester. Florence Caron (women's cross-country), Gery Schnarrs (field hockey), Fredrick Grundin (men's soccer), Frankee Flesher (women’s soccer), Jordan Fusco (women’s soccer), Kayleigh Herr (women’s soccer), Devon Olive (women’s soccer), Amanda Poorbaugh (women's soccer), Natalie Wilson (women’s soccer) and Catherine Burke (women's volleyball) all had perfect 4.0 GPAs.
To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selections, students must be on a varsity team (as verified by being on the official squad list as of Nov. 1 for fall sports), have been enrolled full time at the institution for a minimum of 12 months, and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Among those on the list of fall Academic All-Big Ten honorees is senior Florence Caron from the women's cross-country program. Caron was named an All-American after a 19th-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships, becoming the first Penn State cross-country All-American since 2016. She also was named All-Region and first-team All-Big Ten this season.
The Nittany Lions' fall teams were led by football with 34 honorees. On the women's side, women's soccer had 22 honorees earn the Academic All-Big Ten distinction, matching the team’s 2023 mark.
Team-by-team honorees
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Men's cross-country – 9
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Women's cross-country – 19
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Field hockey – 12
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Football – 34
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Men's soccer – 11
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Women's soccer – 22
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Women's volleyball – 10
In 2022-23, the Penn State athletic department finished with 421 Academic All-Big Ten selections. The latest 117 honorees bring Penn State's total academic honorees to 8,418 since 1991-92.
Penn State's highest fall Academic All-Big Ten totals (3.0 GPA):
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2021 – 131*
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2024 – 117
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2017 – 117
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2023 – 116
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2020 – 114
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2022 – 109
*-School Record
Graduation Success Rates
Penn State student-athletes continue to register record-breaking graduation rates and perform well above their peers nationwide. The Nittany Lions posted a record-tying 93% NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and 11 programs earned perfect 100% ratings. This is the eight consecutive year the Nittany Lions posted a record or record-tying performance in the classroom, according to data reported by the NCAA.
The NCAA's annual graduation rates report of Division I institutions across the nation revealed Penn State student-athletes at the University Park campus earned a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 93% to equal the school’s all-time record of 93%, which was set in the 2023 NCAA report. Nittany Lion students posted a 93% graduation rate compared to the 90% average for all Division I institutions for student-athletes entering from 2014-15 academic year through the 2017-18 academic year.
Penn State student-athletes have logged a Graduation Success Rate in the 88%-93% range during each of the past 18 NCAA reports, improving from 88% in the 2015 report to a record-tying 93% report in the 2024 report.
Penn State among the nation's most comprehensive and successful athletic programs
Under the leadership of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft, Penn State has one of the nation's most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, featuring 800 student-athletes across 31 varsity programs (16 men's, 15 women's). The Nittany Lions' 31 programs are tied for the fourth-highest number of sports sponsored by a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution.