The University of Montana Director of Athletics Jim O’Day announced this week that UM’s 289 student-athletes had a 3.00 grade point average for the 2008 fall semester. Women’s tennis (3.34), women’s track and field (3.27) and volleyball (3.20) highlighted the department’s fall academic success.

The 289 Grizzly student-athletes have an average cumulative GPA of 3.05.

Montana’s undergraduate student body of 10,538 had an average term GPA of 2.83 and a cumulative GPA of 2.89.

“Once again, our student-athletes continue to prosper both in the classroom and on the courts and fields,” O’Day said. “We are extremely proud of their accomplishments and commend our coaching staff and support personnel for assisting these young men and women as they make academics a priority.

“This is a testament that we are bringing the right student-athletes to The University of Montana.”

Half of the department teams had a fall GPA of at least 3.00, and nine of the 12 teams maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00.

Coach Jerry Wagner’s volleyball team has a department-best cumulative GPA of 3.36. Women’s tennis is at 3.33 and women’s track and field at 3.32.

The men’s basketball team’s 2.99 grade point average is expected to be among the better averages among Division I schools in the country.

The 102 student-athletes on the Montana football team, which had a 16-week game schedule from early September to mid December, put together an impressive 2.90 fall semester GPA and have a 2.91 cumulative GPA.