For the second-consecutive semester, every Mary Baldwin varsity athletic team registered a 3.00 or better grade point average, and more than 75 percent of the student-athletes posted a 3.00 or better individual GPA in the Spring 2026 semester.

It's the second time since Mary Baldwin University transitioned to a co-educational institution in 2017-18 that the Fighting Squirrels student-athletes and teams achieved these goals, and the first time that these goals were achieved in both semesters in one academic year.

"I'm so incredibly proud of the student-athletes and coaches who epitomize to the mission of the University, which is to coordinate with the faculty to educate and prepare young men and women to be leaders and contributors to our country and society upon graduation," said Director of Athletics Tom Byrnes. 

There were 199 varsity student-athletes enrolled this semester, including 11 that participated in more than one sport during the 2025-26 academic year.  Of that group, 152 posted a 3.00 GPA during the spring semester (76.38%), including 18 student-athletes with a 4.00 GPA in the Spring semester and 26 others with at least a 3.80 GPA. 

Nine members of men's teams posted 4.00 GPAs in the spring, including Dylan Amend (baseball), William Batt (soccer), Matthew Charles (baseball), Daniel Diaczyszyn (cross country/track & field), Will Earnesty (baseball), Edward Headley (soccer), Grayson Moore (baseball), Trevor Schwartz (soccer) and Caleb Thompson (baseball).

The nine women student-athletes to earn 4.00 GPAs in the spring include Nicole Black (cross country/track & field), Reese Brock (basketball), Shanquil Bryant (basketball), Malia Bullock (basketball), Anneka Burick (cross country/track & field), Amelia Cross (soccer), Jenna Dimiceli (softball), Lauren Lasher (soccer), Yufei Qu (cross country) and Jenna Shull (softball).

The baseball team that set the record for most wins in a season (and in a conference season) led the men's programs with a 3.343 team GPA.  The women's cross country and track & field teams, which have many competitors on all three rosters, had the three highest GPAs among women's teams – all above 3.682 for the semester.

"Outstanding doesn't begin to describe the efforts of every member of the athletic department to achieve these academic levels of excellence," Byrnes said.  "This is just fantastic."

Team GPAs in Spring 2026
Baseball - 3.343
Men's Cross Country - 3.259
Men's Indoor Track - 3.251
Men's Outdoor Track - 3.21
Men's Basketball - 3.166
Men's Soccer - 3.064
 
Women's Cross Country - 3.91
Women's Indoor Track - 3.682
Women's Outdoor Track - 3.682
Women's Soccer - 3.516
Softball - 3.477
Women's Basketball - 3.472
Volleyball - 3.237