NORFOLK, Va. – One hundred seventy-one Norfolk State student-athletes earned Athletics Director's Honor Roll honors for the fall 2020 semester, highlighting another strong semester of academic achievements for the NSU Department of Athletics.

To be recognized on the honor roll, student-athletes must have a 3.0 or better semester GPA. The 171 figure is the second-most in the history of the honor at NSU, trailing only the 189 who earned the distinction for the spring 2020 semester.

The football team led the way with 47 student-athletes on the list. Baseball had 23 on the AD honor roll, women's track had 19, softball 18, men's track 17 and volleyball 13. Men's basketball had nine athletes honored, women's basketball and women's tennis had eight each, bowling five and men's tennis four. For a complete list of AD Honor Roll members, click here.

The near-record number of AD honor roll members was just one indicator of the department's notable success during the fall semester. Among the other highlights:

•    The semester department GPA was 3.18, raising the program's cumulative GPA to 3.10
•    17 student-athletes earned a 4.0 semester GPA
•    11 sports programs had a semester GPA of 3.0 or higher
•    154 student-athletes have a cumulative GPA over 3.0
•    18 student-athletes earned their degrees at the winter commencement

"The success achieved by our student-athletes this semester is a testament to their resilience and commitment to their pursuit of academic excellence," said Ivana Rich, NSU's associate athletics director for academic support. "I am extremely proud of the dedication, collaboration and perseverance of the academic support staff, faculty and coaches that have supported our student-athletes in navigating the challenges of the pandemic while maintaining their motivation and spirit to remain competitive in the classroom. 

"I believe these challenging times have taught our student-athletes to grow during times of discomfort and I look forward to their continued success next semester."