The most prized item awarded to the Carlow University Department of Athletics isn’t a championship trophy. It’s not even a tournament trophy; it’s the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) President’s Cup, and it sits atop our trophy case because it’s too big and too important to be contained within.
Established in 2018, the President’s Cup is presented by the USCAA to the athletic department that scores the highest in academic performance. It was created to honor member institutions whose student-athletes excel in the classroom and to highlight the efforts of an athletic program to put academics first in its mission of providing opportunities for young people.
The Celtics secured the President’s Cup twice in the past three years (and earned second place in 2022-23), which is a testament to our student-athletes’ hard work in the classroom, and our department’s commitment to our students’ futures.
Excellence Beyond the Field
Lou Zadecky, Carlow’s Director of Athletics, emphasizes the importance of putting the student in “student-athlete” first, and ensures all our coaches, staff and students know that too. The department consistently boasts an overall GPA above 3.0. Retention and graduation rates of our students exceed other cohorts at the University.
This fact aligns well with the NCAA Division III philosophy, which states, “Academics are the primary focus for Division III student-athletes. Participation in athletics is a way to enhance this priority, as it provides valuable life lessons for student-athletes such as teamwork, discipline, perseverance and leadership.”
AMCC Peak Performer Award winners Josie Kobak (front-l, tennis) and Anna Gribik (front-r, soccer) pose with (back row, l-r) Dave Gordon (Athletics Compliance), Lou Zadecky (AD), Tim Phillips (VP of Student Affairs, Dean of Students), Allen Duda (Athletics Recruiting)
Athletics Compliance Coordinator, Dave Gordon, also works in the Center for Academic Achievement (CAA) and is responsible for helping students succeed in the classroom. “Our mission is to cultivate career-ready, ethical leaders, using athletics as a pathway for our student-athletes, “said Gordon. “While success on the field and court matters, our ultimate aim is to equip them for the next 40 years of eligibility in the game of life.”
Peak Performance: Defining Success
For the 2023-24 school year, in addition to the President’s Cup, the Celtics earned the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Institutional Peak Performer Award, bestowed annually on the AMCC member with the highest percentage of student-athletes named to the Academic All-Conference Team. The Celtics won with 61.73 percent. Carlow student-athletes also captured nine Team Peak Performer awards (women’s soccer, women’s tennis, women’s volleyball, women’s cross country, women’s basketball, softball, women’s track & field, men’s track & field and men’s golf), which recognizes the team with the highest collective cumulative GPA in each sport.
Out of Carlow’s entire student-athlete population, 126 earned Academic All-Conference honors. Ninety-five earned Peak Performer (3.5 or higher GPA), and 34 were named to Chi Alpha Sigma, the National Collegiate Student-Athlete Honor Society.
How Athletics Drive Academic Success
It’s clear our students are succeeding not despite their participation in athletics, but, in many cases, because of it. Across the board, according to the NCAA, Division III student-athletes graduate at a rate of five percent higher than that of the general student body.
“I was on the verge of giving up,” said student-athlete Hamadi Mganga, class of 2024. “[Carlow] taught me the tools I needed to succeed inside and outside the classroom.”
Teamwork Beyond Sports: Supporting the Whole Student
We can’t take all the credit for students like Hamadi. It takes a village. Our student-athletes receive support from our department and also from the support staff in Student Affairs and, of course, from their professors in the classroom. “I would check in with counselors in the morning, communicate with them and see what’s planned for the day. That would get me organized and motivated,” he said. “[Carlow] has a lot of connections with people and programs that will help you, and I hope to take advantage of that.”
Integration is vital for student-athlete success. For example, in my capacity as Associate Director of Athletics for Sports Communications, I work directly with the Nursing faculty every semester, sharing practice and game schedules to ensure our student-athletes can attend clinicals and on-site trainings with as little interruption as possible.
This collaboration between athletics and faculty is something not all universities can claim. It’s one of many examples of what makes Carlow University unique, and of how we’re devoted to the future of you.