July 9, 2009

WBCA Recognizes Success in the Classroom with Academic Top 25

ATLANTA - The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced its winners for the 2008-09 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. This award, given in NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and Junior College/Community College, awards teams throughout the nation that carry the highest grade point averages (GPA) for the entire season based on the nomination submitted by WBCA-member head coaches.

"It is always an honor for the WBCA to recognize these teams for putting together outstanding cumulative grade point averages," WBCA CEO Beth Bass said. "We want to congratulate each and every one of these teams for their efforts in the classroom and want them to know that we celebrate their hard work. My thanks go out to these teams for setting a benchmark of success academically among their peers in the sport."

Division Institution 2008-09 Head Coach GPA Top 25 Range

NCAA I Indiana State University Jim Wiedie 3.645 3.645-3.308

NCAA II St. Thomas Aquinas College Kim Lusk 3.694 3.694-3.371

NCAA III Maryville University of St. Louis Chris Ellis 3.625 3.625-3.364

NAIA Dana College Shane Larson 3.763 3.763-3.228

JC/CC Phoenix College Samantha Ezell 3.378 3.378-3.020*

* top 20 range

Four of the five institutions at the top spot for their division have received distinction on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Honor Roll before. Indiana State claimed the top spot in NCAA Division I for the third time and is making its eighth consecutive appearance in the top 25. In Division II, St. Thomas Aquinas is making its first-ever top 25, while Maryville University of St. Louis (Division III) has appeared four times prior. Dana College is claiming its third No. 1 ranking, while Phoenix College earns its first top position.

GPAs are calculated by dividing the total number of quality points earned by each student-athlete on an institution's roster in the given academic terms by the total number of hours earned by the team. The GPAs are rounded to the nearest thousandth of a point. Per a motion passed by the WBCA Board of Directors in 2007, teams making the list of Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll must obtain at least a 3.000 overall GPA.

NCAA Division II
Making its first appearance on the WBCA Academic Top 25, St. Thomas Aquinas had the second-highest team GPA of any division. All 12 of the of the Spartan student-athletes had GPA's of 3.25 or higher during the spring season, while 10 sported GPA's over 3.50. The Spartans ended its season 7-21 overall (4-14 ECC) after falling to regular season champion Queens College in the East Coast Conference Tournament. Briana Sloper was named the ECC Rookie of the Year and earned a spot on the Second Team All-Conference team.

"I am extremely proud of this team for their hard work and dedication on and off the court," Kim Lusk, head coach at St. Thomas Aquinas said. "There is certainly a strong correlation between their success and the great academic support they receive at St. Thomas Aquinas. Congratulations to all of the award recipients."

The WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for NCAA Division II is as follows:

          School                                                       2008-09 Head Coach      Team GPA
1        St. Thomas Aquinas College                     Kim Lusk                         3.694
2        Saint Martin's University                           Timothy Healy                 3.668
3        Ashland University                                   Sue Ramsey                     3.647
4        Michigan Technological University           John Barnes                      3.635
5        Abilene Christian University                     Shawna Lavender            3.580
6        Seton Hill University                                 Ferne Labati                     3.567
7        West Liberty State College                       Lynn Ullom                      3.559
8        Rockhurst University                                Rebecca Morrisey            3.545
t9       Winona State University                           Scott Ballard                    3.520
t9       University of Nebraska-Kearney           Carol Russell                  3.520
11      College of Saint Rose                                Karen Haag                      3.499
12      Gannon University                                    Cleve Wright                    3.497
13      University of Findlay                                Kate Cummings               3.495
14      Wayne State College                                 Chris Kielsmeier               3.473
15      Montana State University-Billings            Kevin Woodin                 3.472
16      Northwood University                              Jeff Curtis                        3.471
17      Truman State University                           Michael Smith                  3.461
18      Southwest Minnesota State University     Mike Jewett                     3.460
19      University of Minnesota-Duluth               Annette Wiles                  3.447
20      Regis University                                       Linda Raunig                 3.412
21      Adelphi University                                    Kelley Watts                    3.403
22      Colorado Christian University               Tim Hays                         3.394
23      Fort Lewis College                                   Mark Kellogg                  3.380
24      West Texas A&M University                    Krista Gerlich                   3.371
25      Mars Hill College                                      Jennifer Nance                 3.366

About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game in all of its aspects as a sport for women and girls. For more information about the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.