Cal State Fullerton athletic teams have been stepping it up of late.
The men’s and women’s hoops squads both reached the Big West Basketball Championship tournament. The women’s program is having its most successful season in 35 years.
The men’s track and field team just captured its first-ever Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor title, and the women’s tennis team has won nine straight matches and is tied for first place in the conference.
The Titans players are also dialing it up in the classroom. Last fall, the school’s 330 student-athletes averaged a combined 3.21 grade point average. Allyson Kelly, director of Athletics Academic Services, said it was the highest all-athlete GPA in school history, excluding a pandemic-era 3.41 mark when sports were suspended and credit/no credit options were expanded.
The goal each semester is a combined 3.0 GPA, but the student-athletes have been exceeding that standard. They posted a 3.08 GPA in fall 2024 and raised it to 3.13 in spring 2025. There are multiple reasons for the improvement, said Kelly, whose full-time staff in Langsdorf Hall provides counseling and academic advising.
“This was the first time we were fully staffed for a full year since I’ve been the director. That had a huge impact,” said Kelly. “Our students are being tracked more closely, and they are building better and more meaningful relationships with their counselors.”
She credits AAS programs such as DEGREE and Life Skills for boosting grades. DEGREE supports retention and graduation goals by providing mentoring and tutoring that allows them to thrive in their college curriculum. Life Skills focuses on development and equips student-athletes with the ability to handle everyday demands and challenges as they advance toward graduation and careers.
The AAS Learning Center offers study space for student-athletes. At the center, undergraduate students and interns act as mentors, providing tutoring and tips on writing, while undergraduate students offer math tutoring. They also walk through homework assignments and help ensure research is done properly. Student-athletes can also print their work for free.
Another factor, Kelly said, is the NCAA-imposed roster limits. “Some team rosters have shrunk. That means the student-athletes get more one-on-one attention and have the opportunity to build stronger relationships with support staff. In turn, we help them connect with their professors and as well as campus resources.”
Kelly and the rest of the Athletics Academic Services team take a hands-on approach to ensure the student-athletes receive the information they need to follow NCAA rules for academic eligibility.
Read more on the Titans Athletics website.