Varsity Student-Athletes at Beaumont High Recognized for Academic Success

A majority of student-athletes at Beaumont High have excelled in academics this fall season, the school announced Monday.

Eight Cougars varsity teams averaged GPAs above 3.0, and "177 of 319 student-athletes achieved a 3.0 GPA or better, representing 56 percent of our fall participants," Beaumont Athletic Director Martin DuSold said.

Among the school's sports-academic leaders are the boys and girls varsity cross country teams, an achievement the athletes earned through hard work and discipline, their coach said.

"A lot of it with cross country, it's the mentality of the kids that run," Cougars cross country Head Coach Brandon Tedrow said Monday afternoon at practice.

The girls varsity cross country team tied with the girls varsity tennis team for the school's highest team average GPA at 3.52, according to DuSold. The boys varsity cross country team had the highest average GPA among boys teams at 3.43.

"A cross country runner is gonna be more higher-achieving usually in the classroom, because as much as we run and put all the time physically, it's a mental sport.

"You don't go out there and run hard for three miles if you're not mentally got it together," Tedrow said. "A lot of my kids, and every year, you can look at any cross country program anywhere, they usually have higher GPAs because of that.

"The kids work hard in the classroom, they come out and they run hard, and it's just that type of kid, the type of athlete.

"Here at the high school all of our athletes are doing well and moving up the ladder, but cross country always seems to have those group of kids that really excel in the classroom too."

Credit also goes to student-athletes' coaches, Tedrow said.

"I think the coaches do a really good job of teaching, showing how to be a leader, how to work hard, not just out on the field but also doing it in the classroom," Tedrow said.

"Because there's a mix. There has to be a correlation. If you want to do well on the football field, or you want to go run fast, you got to put the time in the classroom as well, and I think overall, from the top down, from Principal Saucedo to Martin DuSold to all the coaches, I think we take it very seriously to do very well in classroom.

"I know a lot coaches will have study halls on different points, and I know a couple weeks ago I grabbed a couple kids that I thought were struggling, seeing their grades online, and we're able to kind of get them back on track and at least get the help that they need, if nothing else."

DuSold listed the varsity team fall GPAs as follows:

Cheer          3.17

Boys XC       3.43

Girls XC       3.52

Football       3.16

Girls Golf     3.28

Girls Tennis  3.52

Volleyball     3.09

Water Polo   3.36

"Congratulations to all of our coaches and student-athletes for their work toward academic achievement," DuSold said in his announcement Monday.