Athletics communications

Richard Offutt '10, a member of the men's tennis team majoring in applied economics and management, was one of 101 student-athletes honored in March for a perfect 4.0 GPA during at least one semester last year.

Athletics communications

Dan Cerqueira '10, a member of the cross country and track teams with a dual major in government and economics, was one of 101 student-athletes honored in March for a perfect 4.0 GPA during at least one semester last year.

The athletes on Cornell's 36 varsity athletic teams are often some of the busiest students on campus. Considering the time commitment required to compete among the nation's elite, on top of the rigorous academic schedule faced by all of Cornell's students, it's particularly impressive to see many of these student-athletes not only competing at a high level, but also performing exceptionally well in the classroom.

In spring 1997, the Department of Athletics and Physical Education began a program to recognize the best and brightest among the student-athletes, honoring those who achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average during the previous semester with a special breakfast. That first year, 19 Big Red athletes had achieved perfection in the classroom, and since then, the number of honored guests has grown dramatically, with an average of 50 student-athletes each semester joining the 400 Club.

To make the event even more special, five years ago the administration began allowing the honored students to invite a faculty member of their choice to join them at the breakfast.

"Being a student-athlete at an Ivy League institution is no easy task," says Chris Wlosinski, the Andrew '78 and Margaret Paul Assistant Director of Athletics for Student Services. "For these students to practice 20 hours a week, commit themselves to Division I athletics without a scholarship and to achieve a perfect 4.0 or above is a tremendous accomplishment that deserves to be recognized by the administration."

Even among dozens of exceptional student-athletes, there are always some that stand out, and at the breakfast held March 1 at the Statler Hotel, both Dan Cerqueira '10 and Richard Offutt '10 were recognized for their outstanding achievements. The March breakfast honored new 400 Club members from both the fall 2009 and spring 2009 semesters -- 101 in all.

Cerqueira, a member of the cross country and track teams with a dual major in government and economics, has earned a 4.0 in six of his semesters and recently achieved a perfect score on the LSAT. Offutt, a member of the men's tennis team majoring in applied economics and management, has maintained a 4.0 in seven consecutive semesters and has never received a grade below an "A" during his collegiate career.

"Sometimes I think about the 4.0, but most of the time, I'm just trying to do as well as possible in all of my classes," says Cerqueira. "I suppose you could say I'm actively striving for it, in that in each of my classes I'm trying to get an A. I just don't like to come out of exams thinking that I could have done better. It's like in track -- I like to feel like I've given it everything I've got when it counts."

"It is a tremendous honor to be able to celebrate such an achievement with other student-athletes who have excelled at balancing the challenges in the classroom as well as in their respective sports," adds Offutt. "Sharing this experience with my coach, David Geatz, and academic adviser, Professor Garrick Blalock, is a major part of what makes this event special, because they have both been instrumental in shaping my experience at Cornell."

In addition to the student-athletes and select faculty members, Cornell President David Skorton, Vice President for Student and Academic Services Susan Murphy and Andy Noel, the Meakem*Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education, also attend each semester's 400 Club breakfast.

"I'm just tremendously proud of these student-athletes," says Murphy. "They are men and women who are making the most of their Cornell student experience while giving so much to our community in return."