Dartmouth's men's team ranked second of all Division I men's teams with an average 3.45 GPA, falling just shy of American University, which topped the list with a GPA of 3.48. Georgetown University was ranked third at 3.36, closely followed by Brown University at 3.35. Harvard University, which ranked seventh place at 3.29, was the third Ivy League institution to make the top ten.
The Big Green women's team placed ninth among all Division I women's team with a 3.51 GPA. Georgetown University and Manhattan College tied at the top of the women's team list with a GPA of 3.61. Brown was the next highest Ivy League school, coming in with a 3.45 GPA to tie for 16th place.
Men's swimming and diving team members, Andrew Berry '08 and Neil Willis '08, credit Coach Jim Wilson and his staff's emphasis on academics as the first priority for student athletes as the primary reason for the team's scholarly success.
"I've never felt any pressure about having school as my main concern," Willis said.
"Lots of coaches preach that they keep academics the first priority and athletics the second, but this is a testament to our coaches' sustained respect for our academic lives," Berry said. "Any time I have a particularly demanding work schedule, I never feel uncomfortable asking to skip practice in order to study."
Coach Wilson's stance on the balance between athletics and academics for student-athletes is notably more flexible than many other Division I programs.
"I'll never schedule a meet or workout or travel that conflicts with class time," Wilson said. "If an athlete has a special class or X-Hour that conflicts in any way with an away meet, or a home meet for that matter, they don't compete. Two years ago, we left five athletes home during Ivy Championships, because the dates conflicted with reading period. School always comes first."
Wilson also stressed the idea that academic excellence is a crucial part of the selection process in his staff's recruitment of new talent.
"Admissibility to school is the most important. It doesn't matter how good someone is if they can't be admitted," he said. "From there, I know they'll do well, because our team takes their studies very seriously."
The men's team's academic achievements complement their tradition of athletic success. The Big Green have "been number one in the country for Division I men's swimming and diving six times, and in the top three teams 16 times since I started here in 1993. The lowest our team has ever finished nationally is eighth during that time, and only once have we not been the best in the Ivy League," Wilson said.
