July 20, 2009
(release courtesy of Bryan Geelan, Simpson College athletic communications director)

INDIANOLA, IOWA . . . After another successful season on the court, the Simpson women’s basketball team showed it has championship material in the classroom as well. The Storm earned a top-ten spot on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) 2008-09 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll, achieving the nation’s seventh-highest GPA in NCAA Division III.

The 2008-09 season marked Simpson’s fourth Iowa Conference title in five years and its fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Storm compiled a 24-4 record en route to a fifth consecutive 20-win season, before bowing out in the first round of the NCAA tournament with a 69-59 loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater.

“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in the classroom as well as the basketball court,” head coach Brian Niemuth said. “Our academic success is just as important to our program as our athletic accomplishments.”

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.

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