MACON, Ga. — Another record-breaking academic year is in the books for Mercer Athletics, as the department’s 18 varsity teams posted a cumulative 3.546 GPA, with 13 squads achieving a 3.5 GPA or higher across the 2025-26 academic year.
With more than 400 scholar-athletes, the department has now established school-record GPAs in each of the last two years after tallying a 3.49 mark across the 2024-25 academic year. Mercer’s scholar-athletes also closed out fall 2025 with a record 3.539 semester GPA and raised the bar even higher during the spring 2026 term with a 3.549.
“At Mercer, everyone majors in changing the world, and our scholar-athletes prove it every day — on the field, in the classroom and in the community,” said Mercer University President Penny L. Elkins, Ph.D. “When you see teams earning a 3.5 GPA or better while competing at the highest levels both academically and athletically, you are witnessing the kind of excellence and commitment that defines what it means to be a Mercer Bear. These scholar-athletes understand that success is not one-dimensional, and I could not be prouder of what they continue to accomplish.”
The men’s cross country team carried the torch for Mercer in 2025-26 with an impressive 3.805 team GPA, while three other teams — women’s cross country (3.776), softball (3.772) and men’s tennis (3.733) — registered a cumulative number above the 3.7 plateau. All 18 programs carried at least a 3.211 team GPA.
On the individual side, more than 250 scholar-athletes maintained a 3.5 GPA or better across both semesters, including 48 that boasted a perfect 4.0.
“I am incredibly proud of what our scholar-athletes were able to accomplish inside the classroom this year,” said Mercer Athletics Director Jim Cole. “It is a testament to their tireless work ethic, resilience and academic dedication that we continue to compete at the highest levels. I also want to give credit to our outstanding coaches, Student-Athlete Support Services and campus partners for their efforts in providing our scholar-athletes with all of the necessary resources to position themselves for success.”
Twenty-four scholar-athletes across six sports have already been recognized on College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District teams during the 2025-26 athletic season, with 17 more expected to rake in that accolade over the next month when the CSC’s at-large, baseball and cross country/track & field are announced.
Football’s Xavier Jennings became the 23rd student-athlete in the history of Mercer Athletics to be named to the CSC Academic All-America squad in January.
