To drive the success and professional readiness of student-athletes, San Diego State University Athletics has either expanded or introduced a number of new programs and initiatives in recent years, contributing to overall on- and off-the-field performance.
Major goals associated with the We Rise We Defy: Transcending Borders, Transforming Lives strategic plan are efforts that drive student retention and graduation rates and initiatives that drive career readiness.
Today, the graduation rate for SDSU student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility is 98%, and each of the 18 teams meets and exceeds the NCAA Academic Progress Rate standards, which requires high levels of academic performance to qualify for championship competition.
Also, year after year, dozens of SDSU student-athletes earn Academic All-Mountain West designations, recognized for maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or better while competing in at least 50 percent of the team's contests.
For fall 2023, Athletics announced:
- That 43 student-athletes had received the honor given fall 2023 performance – with most going to football, women's soccer, volleyball and cross country team members.
- Student-athletes had an average 3.21 grade-point average, the highest fall GPA since 1999.
- Fourteen teams had an average GPA at 3.0 or above.
And, this month, the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America announced that it has selected the women's swimming and diving team for its Scholar All-America award, recognizing the team’s academic accomplishments and the leadership and support of the coaching staff, led by head coach Mike Shrader.
“A credit to our coaching staffs, student-athlete academic support services, and most importantly our student-athletes for the success in the classroom," said John David Wicker, director of Intercollegiate Athletics.
SDSU's first appearance in the men's basketball national championship game grabbed center stage in front of a nationwide audience and potential future students. (SDSU)
In 2023, SDSU Athletics launched the Aztecs Going Pro program’s Summer Internship, a paid, eight-week internship for student-athletes, providing them with professional and transferable work experience within the Athletics Department. 16 student-athletes have since completed either an internship or career-related work experience through the program in the inaugural launch in Summer 2023.
In recent years, SDSU Athletics has amplified its Aztecs Going Pro program, one that has been credited as a model for other universities. In the program, student-athletes receive yearly programming related to civic engagement, personal growth, and career development.
What also makes the program unique is that all student-athletes participate every year, said Danielle Kelly, senior associate athletic director. During the 2022-23 academic year, 310 student-athletes enrolled in Aztecs Going Pro courses and more than 140 alumni and professionals supported them through the program.
Also, Athletics introduced “Healthy Start” through a collaboration with the Well-Being and Health Promotion, Counseling & Psychological Services and Residential Education. The program offers enhanced training on topics that include mental health, community living and alcohol and other drug use.
In addition to aiding students toward professional careers in the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Women's Tennis Association and the PGA Tour, and elsewhere connected to pro sports, former student-athletes are also employed with companies that include the San Diego Junior Golf Association and Fidelity Investments.
