ROCHESTER, NY - On Tuesday morning, the Empire 8 released its Spring 2026 President's List, a prestigious honor that was collected by 156 Pioneer standouts. These athletes demonstrated excellence in the classroom, earning a semester-long GPA of 3.75 or higher. Their contributions to the university and the student body cannot be understated, and they've overcome the challenges and massive commitment of being a student-athlete to achieve top marks in their various programs.

The stellar showing from these academic all-stars also extended out to the entire athletics department, as the department saw a massive increase in total GPA, jumping from a 3.07 in the Fall 2025 semester to a 3.34 in the Spring 2026 semester. This massive 8.79% increase reflects the hard work put in by the entire Utica athletics department in the spring portion of the season.
 
Click here to view all of last semester's Empire 8 President's List honorees: Empire 8 Spring 2026 President's List Recipients
 
The Pioneers also brought in stellar team success, contributing heavily to the Empire 8's record 208 teams that achieved All-Academic status. A superb 17 Pioneer programs achieved a team-wide Spring 2026 GPA of 3.20 or higher, earning Empire 8 All-Academic Team recognition.
 
Here is the full list of Pioneer programs that managed to achieve All-Academic status in the Spring 2026 semester:
 
Men's Hockey - 3.76 
Volleyball - 3.66
Women's Soccer - 3.61
Women's Golf - 3.6
Women's Hockey - 3.57
Women's Basketball - 3.56
Gymnastics - 3.54
Women's Tennis - 3.51
Women's Cross Country - 3.46
Men's Lacrosse - 3.43
Women's Lacrosse - 3.39
Men's Cross Country - 3.38
Field Hockey - 3.31
Men's Golf - 3.29
Softball - 3.28
Women's T&F - 3.23
Women's Wrestling - 3.22

The Spring saw a massive surge in student-athlete success at Utica, and the future only looks brighter, with these successful students creating a framework for future Pioneers to achieve great accomplishments.
 
Here is the link to the Empire 8's release, which contains the full list of Spring 2026 recipients and All-Academic Teams: Empire 8 Spring 2026 President's List Article