LEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Kentucky Athletics Department placed 145 student-athletes on the Southeastern Conference's 2025-26 First-Year Academic Honor Roll, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced Tuesday.

To qualify for the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must have a 3.0 grade-point average and be in their first year at an SEC institution. The honor represents part of a larger pattern of academic achievement at UK Athletics, where all 23 varsity programs maintained a 3.0 team GPA or higher in the most recent spring semester.

The 145 first-year honorees come from all corners of the UK athletic program, including 24 baseball players, 10 men's basketball players, 4 women's basketball players, 8 football players, and representatives from golf, gymnastics, rifle, soccer, softball, stunt, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

The recognition comes as UK Athletics continues a streak of academic excellence. The department has maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for 28 consecutive semesters, a goal established by Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart in 2008. In the most recent academic year, 98 Wildcats received diplomas or certifications, bringing the department's total to 123 graduates for 2025-26.

UK Athletics supports student-athlete academic success through CATS, the first academic center dedicated solely to serving student-athletes, which is part of the department's Student-Athlete Experience division launched to prepare athletes for life after Kentucky. The NCAA Academic Progress Rate for UK Athletics was recently calculated at 991 out of a possible 1,000, five points higher than the national average.