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Reinhardt College’s 2007 baseball and 2006
women’s soccer teams recently received national recognition as
the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
announced its 2006-07 scholar teams. To be named a scholar team,
a squad must have at least a 3.0 combined grade-point average
(GPA) on a 4.0 scale. The baseball team finished fourth in the
nation while the women’s soccer squad ranked seventh.
“We feel we have made great progress with
our baseball program as we became a very strong academic group
after only three years,” said Bill Popp, Reinhardt’s athletic
director and head baseball coach. “I think it is a tribute to
the commitment and hard work academically of the
student-athletes and coaching staff.
“Women’s soccer has always been one of our
stronger teams academically, and I was very pleased to see that
group get some recognition at the national level. Coach Kaplan
does a great job motivating the team not only academically, but
also competitively.”
The NAIA has 205 schools that sponsor
baseball as an intercollegiate sport, and Reinhardt’s program
was one of just 11 to qualify as a scholar team. The Eagles
finished with a 3.16 GPA and fourth nationally. In only its
third year, Reinhardt continued to improve on the field as well,
posting a 28-27 overall record and earning its first-ever bid to
the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament.
In women’s soccer, 46 of 214 teams achieved
a minimum 3.0 GPA last year. Reinhardt had a 3.41 GPA, ranking
seventh in the country. The Lady Eagles were 8-6-2 overall in
2006, including 4-4-2 in SSAC play.
“I am very proud of the academic
performance of our team,” said Andy Kaplan, Reinhardt’s head
women’s soccer coach. “We recruit intelligent young women and
require them to work hard in the classroom and on the soccer
field. To have the seventh highest GPA in the country is a
tremendous accomplishment for our program, and we hope to move
even higher in the rankings this year.” |
