FORT COLLINS, Colo.--Support for Colorado State Athletics continued at a record pace in 2015-16, mirroring the continued rise of the Rams' athletics programs in competition, in the classroom and in the community. Total donations of $31.8 million reported by the CSU athletics development office for 2015-16 broke the department's all-time record, and contributed to Colorado State University's overall record of $197.8 million in annual fundraising, announced last week.

The $31.8 million in donations was boosted by a new record for total number of donors in a fiscal year, with more 6,000 donors financially supporting CSU Athletics. Supporters continue to invest in all areas of athletics, with fundraising for Sonny Lubick Field at the new on-campus stadium having reached $46.4 million with just under one year until substantial completion of the facility.

"We are grateful for those who have supported our students who participate in athletics in the past year by donating to help fund scholarships and support their overall experience," said CSU Director of Athletics Joe Parker. "Those supporters continue to demonstrate their strong belief in our athletics programs and in this university during a very exciting time in our institution's history."

Contributing to the total are more than 2,200 commemorative bricks sold in support of the stadium project, a figure which includes contributions from 715 first-time donors to Athletics and CSU. Those first-time donors have purchased nearly 1,600 of the bricks.

More than 85 percent of the premium seating in the new stadium has been sold with more than a year still remaining until its first game. Seventeen of the 22 suites have been sold, the Indoor Club has sold out, fewer than 100 Outdoor Club seats remain and fewer than 10 Loge Boxes remain, illustrating the tremendous demand for premium seating inventory.

Colorado State's athletics programs captured four Mountain West Championships in 2015-16, in volleyball, women's basketball and women's indoor and outdoor track & field, tied for most in the MW. Three CSU programs competed as a team in the NCAA tournament or a bowl game, and the Rams lead the nation among NCAA Division I programs competing in FBS football, volleyball and men's and women's basketball with a combined winning percentage of .779 over the past two years. The Rams sit well above the next-best MW athletics program, Boise State, which has tallied a 148-68 record (.685) over the past two seasons.

CSU has been as dominant as ever playing at home in front of their loyal supporters. Over the past two seasons, The Rams have amassed a 98-14 (.875) home record in the four ticketed sports, including an astonishing 56-6 (.903) home mark against Mountain West opponents. Over the past three seasons, CSU is 144-25 (.852) overall at home, including 81-13 (.862) against Mountain West opponents.

Student-athletes continued to outperform the general student body in cumulative grade-point average through the spring of 2016, compiling a GPA of 3.047, compared to 3.042 for the overall student body. The 3.047 cumulative GPA for student-athletes at CSU is the second-highest on record, which dates back to the spring of 2007, and includes five semesters in a row with both term and cumulative GPAs above 3.0.

Ten of the Rams' 12 sport program earned above a 3.0 term GPA in Spring 2016, and two--women's soccer and men's cross country--were recognized by the NCAA with Academic Progress Rating (APR) Public Recognition Awards, which highlight programs that have posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent for their respective sports. The award recognized teams for their APR performance in 2014-15, based on multi-year scores covering the 2011-2012, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years, and was the third consecutive APR honor for the men's cross country program.

A school-record 150 Rams earned Academic All-Mountain West recognition in 2015-16 (GPA of 3.0 or better and competing in at least 50 percent of a team's varsity contests during the year), and a record 82 Rams earned MW Scholar-Athlete awards (cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better after completing at least two terms). It was the second year in a row for CSU to achieve a record-setting total of Academic All-MW honors, surpassing last year's 142 Academic All-MW honorees.