Baylor student-athletes setting the pace for the Big 12 academically

The success of Baylor student-athletes in the classroom — a frequent topic here at Baylor Proud — has been brought into sharp focus in the last couple of days, accentuating the university’s focus on Winning with Integrity.

On Tuesday, senior Dominik Mueller (men’s tennis, pictured) was named to the 2010 ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Men’s At-Large Academic All-America second team, the fifth Bear to earn Academic All-America honors this year (following football’s Joe Pawelek, baseball’s Chris Slater, and softball’s Nicole and Tiffany Wesley). The Bears’ total of five Academic All-Americans leads all Big 12 schools this year, and gives Baylor 41 such selections since the conference’s launch — third-most in the league, behind only Nebraska and Texas.

Then Wednesday, the NCAA released its full slate of Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores. For the second year in a row, each of Baylor’s programs scored at or above the national threshold. Two BU teams — men’s and women’s golf — led the Big 12 within their respective sports, while Baylor baseball finished second, men’s cross country and women’s soccer each ranked third and men’s basketball was fourth among league institutions. Such lofty finishes are nothing new at Baylor; for instance, two years ago, it was the Bears’ baseball and soccer programs that led the Big 12, while last year baseball, women’s golf and soccer paced the league.

Sic ’em, Baylor student-athletes!

Previously on Baylor Proud:
* Baylor baseball and softball lead the nation in Academic All-Americans
* Men’s basketball succeeding in the classroom and on the court
* Men’s and women’s tennis named All-Academic Teams by ITA
* Cross country team sets the pace for athletic and academic success