While most students took a break from classes following finals week in May, Georgia Southern athletics continued on well into the summer. We’ve got the biggest stories you might have missed while you were enjoying your summer.

GS Baseball team advances to Sun Belt Championship

After finishing the regular season at just two games over .500 in the conference, the Eagles entered the Sun Belt Tournament as the No. 6 seed. They proceeded to outscore their opponents 23-4 in the first three games of the tournament and advanced to face South Alabama in the championship game. The run finally came to an end at the hands of the No. 2 seed Jaguars 5-0. They finished with a 34-26 overall record. 

Laura Thomas named head coach for Swimming and Diving

The Swimming and Diving program got a new head coach in June, when it was announced that Thomas would be taking over the program. Thomas, who spent four years as an assistant coach in Northern Arizona University,was a two-time All-American and four-time All-SEC swimmer at UGA. The Eagles are coming off a third place finish at the CCSA Swimming and Diving Championships and a 5-2 regular season record in the 2015-2016 season. 

Mike Murhpy named head coach for Men’s Soccer

Murphy was announced as the program’s seventh head coach in July. He comes from Boston College, where he spent the last two seasons as the associate head coach. Murphy brings over 20 years of collegiate, professional and international coaching experience. He’ll look to jump-start a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2006.

Former GS Men’s Tennis athlete becomes No. 1 player in Finland 

When Rise Lanne graduated last May, he left as one of the most successful men’s singles players in GS history. He carried that success back to his home country, where he won the Finnish National Championship. Lanne will return to GS this fall to finish his major and get his degree in journalism while also serving as an assistant coach with the tennis program.

Women’s Basketball and Women’s Tennis Receive Top Sun Belt GPA Awards

Two GS Women’s programs finished with the highest GPA in their respective sport. The tennis team finished with a 3.82 team GPA, which is the highest of any sport in the Sun Belt. It’s the second straight year they have owned the top GPA in the conference. Meanwhile, the basketball team finished with a 3.23 GPA.

Photo courtesy of GS Athletics