Collegiate athletics is undergoing mindboggling change.  Just look at the new constitution that was ratified in January. 

Maybe it began with institutions hopping conferences eliminating many great rivalries that we once knew. Then came the pandemic which pretty much changed everything.  Like the rest of the world it caused all kinds of reductions in athletic staffing and sports offerings. Most recently the Portal and NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) have changed the industry.      

But through it all, there is one area that has remained constant, especially at the University of Wyoming, and that is the remarkable academic accomplishments of our student-athletes.

Tune out all of that noise you are hearing about collegiate athletics for just a few minutes and revel in what these young Cowboys and Cowgirls are doing in the classroom.

Grade-point averages (GPA) have been released from the Fall semester, and for the third consecutive year every one of Wyoming's 17 sports offerings improved its GPA.  All of them!  The Cowgirl basketball (3.698) and Cowgirl swimming (3.671) led the way.

Cowboy basketball posted its best GPA ever with a 3.420

The GPA for all student-athletes at UW was 3.268! I didn't do that, and never had to go to one practice.

Those are extraordinary numbers, and every year since 2013, the department GPA has been above a 3.0.  Traditionally the Cowboys and Cowgirls produce a GPA above that of the general student body.  That is despite the intense time rigors asked of the student-athlete.

Here's something even more amazing to me.  Of the roughly 450 student-athletes in the Wyoming athletic program, 116 produced perfect 4.0 grade-point averages during the Fall semester!  Of that number, 26 were in the swimming program.

These grades are not being accomplished in easy majors either.  The number one major within the department is Kinesiology.  But the Cowboy and Cowgirl majors are exceptionally diverse.  Nearly every major on campus is represented from Pharmacy to engineering to business to physics and everything in-between.

Most importantly, the student-athletes are accomplishing their number one goal.  They are graduating!  According to athletic department data, some 91 percent of UW's student-athletes finish their careers with a degree. 

I had a great visit the other day with Al Reiser who is the department's Assistant Athletic Director for Academics.  He oversees the academic area for the athletics department, and also works directly with a couple of the programs.  He and his staff are incredibly dedicated to making sure these student-athletes are students first.  Much of this success is because of their dedication.

Wyoming's athletic programs are divided among six dedicated individuals in the area of academic support.

"As a group, we are over-stressed about their success, but it is extremely important to us that these students are successful," Al says of his academic support area.  "We want to make sure our students are in majors that matter and will allow them to have success in their futures."

There is also robust tutoring system within the athletics department that is a huge help.  In addition there is campus tutoring system available.

Right or wrong, there was a time early in the evolution of collegiate athletics that athletes were perceived as "dumb jocks".  That moniker died a long time ago.

"There's been a myth out there that student-athletes are not good students," Al admits.  "That could not be further from the truth. The vast majority of these students take their academics very, very seriously.

"Every year they get better," Al says.  "The grades come in, and we say how can they top these impressive numbers? And they do!  They are amazing young people."

A combination of things have to come together for these gaudy GPA's to be possible.

"It starts with the NCAA rules and our administration's commitment," Al says.  "Our administration is dedicated to academic success.  It has invested the time and financial resources to make this happen.  

Our coaches, across the board, have taken a leadership role.  They are the driving force behind this academic success.  It's their buy-in that has made a huge difference. There are now coaches in the department who schedule their practices around their team's academic schedule.

And, of course, the students themselves.  They have to want academic success.  If they are not willing to invest the time, and the hard work, it won't happen." 

Obviously there is a great correlation between success in the arena of athletics and in the classroom.

"There's no question that if you are dedicated to being good in the classroom, you are going to be good in your sport," Al says.  "A large percentage of our most successful athletes have been outstanding in the classroom. Chad Muma is a great example.  An outstanding football player, he is an outstanding student in engineering.  

"One of our best-ever wrestlers, Bryce Meredith graduated early, Josh Allen graduated early.  Larry Nance graduated on time.  Their dedication and work ethic allowed them to be successful in both areas."

When did this trend begin?  It's difficult to put a finger on the exact time, and there a lot of moving parts.  But this academic evolution or revolution began when the NCAA started changing the rules and placing a much bigger premium on the classroom.

"The Academic Progress Rate (APR), established in 2005, was a huge boon to academic success," Al says. "It was a game-changer because it made institutions accountable. Simply put it is how the NCAA measures academic success. Wyoming is consistently among the top-tier academic programs in the country." 

By any measure, Wyoming's academic process is at the forefront of technology and support. 

Next time you're watching a game, think for a moment what that student-athlete is accomplishing in the classroom as well.