July 20, 2010
(release courtesy of Summer McKesson, WBCA)
ATLANTA . . . The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced its winners for the 2009-10 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.
“Congratulations to these teams who have excelled academically during the 2009-10 school year," WBCA CEO Beth Bass said. “Each of these coaches set an extraordinary example for their peers to follow by holding academics in such high esteem with their student-athletes."
| Division |
Institution |
2009-10 Head Coach |
Team GPA |
| NCAA I |
Utah Valley University |
Cathy Nixon |
3.630 |
| NCAA II |
Michigan Technological University |
John Barnes |
3.732 |
| NCAA III |
Carnegie Mellon University |
Geraldine Seidl |
3.616 |
| NAIA |
Dana College |
M. Shane Larson |
3.727 |
| JC/CC |
Sheridan College |
Frank McCarthy |
3.575 |
Four of the five institutions are at the top spot for their division on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Honor Roll for the first time. Dana College claimed the top spot in NAIA for the second year in a row and fourth time overall for their division. In Division I, Utah Valley University is making its fourth Top 25, while Michigan Tech University (Division II) has appeared six times prior. Carnegie Mellon University (Division III) and Sheridan College (JC/CC) are both appearing in the Top 25 for the first time.
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 III
Carnegie Mellon University is making its debut in the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll in fashion by claiming the No. 1 position. The Tartans ended their season with a 9-16 overall mark.
The WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for NCAA Division III is as follows:
|
School |
2009-10 Head Coach |
Team GPA |
| 1 |
Carnegie Mellon University |
Geraldine Seidl |
3.616 |
| 2 |
Centenary College |
Lorie Khalil |
3.613 |
| T3 |
University of Redlands |
Rich Murphy |
3.566 |
| T3 |
Emerson College |
Bill Gould |
3.566 |
| 5 |
William Smith College |
Lindsay Drury |
3.547 |
| 6 |
University of The South |
Dickie McCarthy |
3.537 |
| 7 |
Simpson College |
Brian Niemuth |
3.535 |
| 8 |
Luther College |
Jane Hildebrand |
3.520 |
| 9 |
Finlandia University |
Curtis Wittenberg |
3.508 |
| 10 |
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse |
Lois Heeren |
3.495 |
| 11 |
Gustavus Adolphus College |
Mickey Haller |
3.494 |
| 12 |
Emory University |
Christy Thomaskutty |
3.481 |
| 13 |
McDaniel College |
Becky Martin |
3.478 |
| 14 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Sonia Raman |
3.463 |
| 15 |
Concordia University (WI) |
Stacey Brunner |
3.461 |
| 16 |
Northland College |
Bill Wilson |
3.455 |
| 17 |
Elms College |
Laura Habacker |
3.443 |
| 18 |
Hope College |
Brian Morehouse |
3.437 |
| 19 |
Immaculata University |
Patricia Canterino |
3.435 |
| 20 |
Washington & Lee University |
Mandy King |
3.434 |
| 21 |
Yeshiva University |
Karen Green |
3.410 |
| 22 |
Case Western Reserve University |
Jennifer Reimer |
3.405 |
| 23 |
Chapman University |
Carol Jue |
3.403 |
| 24 |
Westminster College |
Tracey Braden |
3.394 |
| 25 |
Elmhurst College |
Tethnie Werner |
3.392 |
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the 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 as a sport for women and girls. For additional information about the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.
--WBCA--
