In the fall of 2021, Clemson women’s soccer had a program-record cumulative GPA of 3.6, the highest among all women’s programs at Clemson. Ten players made the president’s list, six made the dean’s list and 24 made the honor roll. This was the women’s soccer program’s 43rd consecutive semester above a 3.0.
“These are highly intelligent ladies that are coming to Clemson,” said academic coordinator Adam Hatem. “It is their effort that gets them to be such a good academic program.”
Hatem also gave credit to head coach Eddie Radwanski and assistant coach Siri Mullinix for being very pro-academic and helping the team reach their academic goals.
When asked about his ultimate goal for his athletes, Hatem said that “graduation is our championship,” and that he wants to prepare them for life after Clemson, whether that be professional sports, graduate school or a job.
“We want to teach them how to be self-sufficient in life,” he said.
To achieve this, Hatem and the rest of his staff provide the women’s soccer team with a plethora of academic resources. Freshman and first-year transfer students will meet with Hatem directly once a week for their first semester to ensure they are doing well in their classes.
Hatem and his staff set them up with tutors to work on non-graded assignments and have them meet with their major advisor at least once per semester. They also meet with Hatem during registration to mitigate poor scheduling. Typically, Hatem has his athletes take the heavier classes or labs during the spring semester.
After the athletes’ first semester at Clemson, Hatem lets them “spread their wings.” They are no longer required to meet him weekly, but they are always welcome to come to him at any time.
Their 10 required study hours also decline as they show improvement and success in the classroom.
This process allows the athletes to better manage their time, a skill that Hatem believes his athletes excel at.
“Time management is probably the number one skill a student athlete can have here,” Hatem said. “Women’s soccer is the epitome of that.”
Women’s soccer saw six players make the all ACC-Academic team this fall, which Hatem called “the icing on the cake,” continuing to note that it “speaks to the amount of high-quality players who are successful on and off the pitch.”
The team finished last season 12-7-1 and 6-3-1 in the ACC on top of all of its academic success. As the team is in the offseason this spring, the athletes will look to continue showing their excellence in the classroom.
