Bengal Sports and School Work

Have you ever wondered where Blake’s sports teams rank when it comes to academics? I spoke with the school athletic director Mr. Fribush to gain insight.

As you may know, all MCPS athletes must maintain a 2.0 unweighted GPA with no more than one failing grade (E) on their most recent report card to remain eligible to compete. Incoming freshman students are automatically academically eligible throughout their first year of high school. Mr. Fribush says this is a change that was enacted in 2019. He has let me know that between 95% and 98% of Blake student-athletes maintain their academic eligibility while participating in a sport. 

In Fall 2024, the team with the highest team GPA at Blake was Girls Cross Country (3.61).

Girls Swim & Dive had the highest team GPA in Winter 2023-2024 (3.61).

Girls Tennis led the Spring sports (3.62).

Mr. Fribush noted that β€œin general, our Varsity sports tend to have higher GPAs than our JV sports, for a variety of reasons.” 

If a student-athlete maintains a 3.25 GPA or better during the season they receive the β€œMinds In Motion” award. Below are the most recent numbers relating to the award: 

Fall 2024: 144 student-athletes (51% of participants on rosters).

Winter 2023-2024: 112 student-athletes (45% of participants on rosters).

Spring 2024: 144 student-athletes (48% of participants on rosters).

If a student-athlete is struggling in a class or close to being ineligible they can expect to hear from their coaches. Mr. Fribush stated that β€œcoaches receive grade reports weekly throughout the season, and are expected to look for grades below a C to encourage students academically.” There are also many resources for students at Blake like peer tutoring, writing centers, and help with math. Mr. Fribush goes on to say that β€œhaving a coach as another adult in the student-athlete’s life focusing on academics is a good motivator.” Student-athletes are usually driven to have great time management skills. This will help balance the responsibilities of their academics with their commitment to countless practices and games.