ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Hartwick College Hawks placed 108 student-athletes on the 2026 Empire 8 Spring President's List for their academic achievements, the conference announced this week, highlighting a tremendous semester in the classroom for Hawk student-athletes. The President's List is recognized as one of the Empire 8's highest academic honors.
To qualify for the President's List, student-athletes must earn a semester GPA of 3.75 or higher, maintain positive conduct on and off campus, be enrolled full-time, and participate in an NCAA-sponsored sport. All 21 Hartwick athletic programs were represented on the list. Football paced the men's programs with 11 honorees, while women's soccer led the women's side with 12 selections.
Overall, Hartwick student-athletes compiled a GPA of 3.31 for the spring semester, including 52 student-athletes attaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. In addition, 57% of all student-athletes achieve a 3.20 GPA or higher during the semester and ten different teams had over a 3.4 team GPA (men's basketball, women's basketball, women's cross country, field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer, women's swimming and diving, women's tennis, women's track and field and women's volleyball).
"I am exceptionally proud of the efforts of our student-athletes this spring and it comes on the heels of a fall semester where we fell below our goal of a cumulative 3.2 GPA amongst all teams," said Paul Vecchio, Executive Director of Athletics. "Tremendous resiliency and effort was displayed by our students, supported ably as always by our coaches, staff, faculty and academic success coaches. What a great way to end the 2025-26 academic year!"
In addition to the individual recognition, 12 Hartwick programs earned Empire 8 All-Academic Team honors. To receive the distinction, teams must post a collective GPA of 3.2 or higher during the semester. Hartwick's women's cross country team led all Hawks programs with a 3.789 team GPA for the spring semester after also recording the department's highest GPA during the fall.
Conference-wide, a record 1,716 student-athletes earned President's List recognition this spring. The Empire 8's 12 full-time member institutions sponsored 5,492 student-athletes, who combined to post a conference-wide GPA of 3.31. Hartwick was one of 10 institutions to have at least 10 teams recognized as All-Academic Teams and one of eight institutions whose student-athletes achieved an average GPA of 3.25 or higher during the semester.
Full Empire 8 Release
About Hartwick College:
Hartwick, often referred to as The Life Balance College, is a private liberal arts and sciences institution in Oneonta, N.Y. Through its distinctive FlightPath approach, Hartwick blends academic excellence, career preparation and an active campus life to help students achieve a balanced and fulfilling college experience. With transparent tuition and a focus on health and wellness, Hartwick prepares students for lifelong success—both professionally and personally.
