Fairfield University Field Hockey earned the top grade point average (GPA) for the fall semester among all NCAA Division I field hockey programs, as announced by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) on Monday. The Stags aggregated a 3.79 GPA in the fall 2021 semester.

"I am immensely proud of our student-athletes," Head Coach Jackie Kane ’87 said. "They reach for excellence in the classroom and on the field on a daily basis. Each student-athlete on our team contributes to our success as a team both athletically and academically. I am happy to see that their hard work continues to be rewarded with such a prestigious honor."

The Stags top a ledger that also includes Stanford University, Dartmouth College, the University of Louisville, and Brown University in the top five. The announcement highlighted the unveiling of the NFHCA Division I National Academic Team awards, which recognizes programs that merited a team GPA of 3.0 or higher during the fall semester.

It was previously announced that the Stags placed 24 student-athletes on the NFHCA National Academic Squad. To receive that distinction, a student-athlete must hold a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or better. The Stags’ 24 honorees ranked one off the national pace set by Columbia University.

On the pitch, the Stags finished the 2021 fall season with a 14-8 overall record and captured the 2021 NEC Regular Season and Tournament championships for the second time in three seasons. Fairfield went on to challenge Delaware in the NCAA Championship First Round, where they were clipped by a 4-3 score in overtime against the CAA Champion Blue Hens.