KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For the second straight season, the Missouri-Kansas City women's basketball team has claimed the top spot on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll presented by AT&T after posting and cumulative team total of 3.726, making them the only Division I team to post a cumulative GPA above 3.7. It also marks the third straight season that the top honor has gone to a WAC-member school as Utah Valley topped the list in 2012-13.
“I'm beyond proud of this team and all their hard work this past season,†Head Coach Marsha Frese said. “To win this award one time is exciting, but back-to-back years is truly memorable. Beyond the numbers themselves, this award speaks to the culture we have worked so hard to build over the last three years. The outgoing seniors of Eilise O'Connor, Kim Nezianya, Hailey Houser and Audrey Thrasher challenged not only our returners but also our incoming class of 7 freshmen to uphold the standards they helped create. With their support they absolutely rose to the challenge.â€
The WBCA Academic Top 25 presented by AT&T annually recognizes NCAA Division I, II and III; NAIA; and junior/community college women's basketball teams across the nation that carry the highest combined grade point average (GPA) inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season. The 2014-15 season is the 20th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor rolls.
The ‘Roos return to the Academic Top 25 Honor Roll for the second straight year and the third time in program history after also making the list in 1998.
Last season, the ‘Roos topped the list with a 3.628 GPA, and this season improved on it by nearly a whole tenth of a point. Overall, ‘Roo women's basketball student-athletes posted eight semesters with a perfect 4.0 GPA, while every ‘Roos posted at least one semester this past season with a GPA north of 3.50. On the year, seven Kangaroos were named to the Academic All-WAC Team.
“The WBCA applauds these teams for their commitment to academic excellence during the 2014-15 school year,†said Danielle Donehew. “The student-athlete experience is an exciting and challenging time period and we appreciate these programs for setting an academic standard that other teams can strive to achieve. We value the hard work and dedication the players and coaches have put forth to thrive in the classroom and on the basketball court.â€
“We applaud these young women for delivering on the court and in the classroom,†said Ryan Luckey, AVP, AT&T Corporate Sponsorships. “They set a tremendous example for all student-athletes.â€
A team's GPA is calculated by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the total number of hours attempted by all team members in the academic terms (semesters or quarters) that the season spans. Weighted grades are converted to a 4.0 scale. The GPA's are rounded to the nearest thousandth of a point. Teams are nominated for the honor by a WBCA-member head coach. A team must have a 3.000 or better GPA to be nominated.
Here is the complete 2014-15 WBCA Academic Top 25 for NCAA Division I (**NCAA tournament):
|
Rank |
Institution |
2014-15 Head Coach |
Team GPA |
|
1 |
University of Missouri-Kansas City |
Marsha Frese |
3.726 |
|
2 |
St. Francis College** |
John Thurson |
3.656 |
|
3 |
DePaul University** |
Doug Bruno |
3.622 |
|
4 |
Drake University |
Jennie Baranczyk |
3.599 |
|
5 |
Bowling Green State University |
Jennifer Roos |
3.594 |
|
6 |
Saint Louis University |
Lisa Stone |
3.564 |
|
7 |
Arizona State University** |
Charli Turner Thorne |
3.558 |
|
8 |
Eastern Washington University |
Wendy Schuller |
3.554 |
|
9 |
Florida Gulf Coast University** |
Karl Smesko |
3.552 |
|
T10 |
Western Illinois University |
JD Gravina |
3.530 |
|
T10 |
University of Wisconsin, Green Bay** |
Kevin Borseth |
3.530 |
|
12 |
University of Northern Iowa |
Tanya Warren |
3.519 |
|
13 |
University of North Dakota |
J. Travis Brewster |
3.517 |
|
14 |
Jacksonville State University |
Rick Pietri |
3.511 |
|
15 |
Belmont University |
Cameron Newbauer |
3.501 |
|
16 |
Northwestern State University** |
Brooke Stoehr |
3.461 |
|
17 |
Houston Baptist University |
Donna Finnie |
3.445 |
|
18 |
University of Toledo |
Tricia Cullop |
3.443 |
|
19 |
Northern Illinois University |
Kathi Bennett |
3.438 |
|
20 |
University of Northern Colorado |
Kamie Ethridge |
3.431 |
|
21 |
South Dakota State University** |
Aaron Johnston |
3.427 |
|
22 |
Youngstown State University |
John Barnes |
3.422 |
|
23 |
St. Bonaventure University |
Jim Crowley |
3.406 |
|
24 |
University of Maine |
Richard Barron |
3.399 |
|
25 |
Lehigh University |
Susan Troyan |
3.396 |