July 14, 2008

ATLANTA - The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced its winners for the 2007-08 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll Monday. 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.

 

"I would like to say congratulations to each and every one of these teams for producing some impressive cumulative grade point averages," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. "These numbers would be notable for one student-athlete alone, but for an entire team to compile overall GPAs such as this is truly remarkable. I tip my hat to these programs and wish continued success both on and off the court."

Division	Institution	2007-08 Head Coach	GPA	Top 25 Range
NCAA I	South Dakota State University	Aaron Johnston	3.669	3.669-3.278
NCAA II	University of South Dakota	Chad Lavin	3.649	3.649-3.385
NCAA III	Concordia University (Wisconsin)	Stacey Brunner	3.637	3.637-3.375
NAIA	Concordia University - Nebraska	Drew R. Olson	3.667	3.667-3.227
JC/CC	Seward County Community College	Toby Wynn	3.560	3.560-3.011*
*=top 17 range

All five institutions are no stranger to the WBCA Academic Top 25 Honor Roll as each one has received distinction on this list before. South Dakota State claimed the top spot in NCAA Division I for the third consecutive year while South Dakota, in NCAA Division II, and Concordia University (Wisconsin), in NCAA Division III, are claiming the No. 1 ranking in each one's respective division for the first time. In the NAIA ranks, Concordia University - Nebraska takes home the highest GPA for the seventh time (2000-05, 2008) since this award began in 1998. Seward County has also enjoyed the poll position in its division (JC/CC) prior to this year claiming top honors in 2001 and 2002.

 

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.

 

NAIA
Making an impressive seventh appearance in the top spot for the NAIA division is Concordia University - Nebraska. The Bulldogs certainly proved they could excel in the classroom with an overall GPA of 3.667, but this team also produced on the court. Head Coach Drew. R. Olson's squad finished the season at 26-7 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NAIA Division II National Championship.

 

"It is a great honor to receive this high academic award," said Concordia University - Nebraska Head Coach Drew R. Olson. "I am proud of this team and what they accomplished. They were extremely committed and disciplined to the idea of student-athlete along with having their priorities in order: God, family, school, basketball, others. It was a great season; successful on the court and in the classroom."

 

The WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for NAIA is as follows:

	School	2007-08 Head Coach	Team GPA
1	Concordia University - Nebraska	Drew R. Olson	3.667
2	Westminster College	JD Gustin	3.653
3	Oklahoma Christian University	Stephanie Findley	3.623
4	Blue Mountain College	Lavon Driskell	3.608
5	Mount Marty College	Chuck Iverson	3.603
6	Davenport University	Mark Youngs	3.578
7	Bethel College (IN)	Jody Martinez	3.544
8	Northwestern College	Earl Woudstra	3.541
9	Carroll College	Shawn Nelson	3.540
10	Freed-Hardeman University	Dale E. Neal	3.485
11	Midland Lutheran College	Joanne Bracker	3.461
12	Valley City State University	Jill K. DeVries	3.447
13	Trevecca Nazarene University	Gary L. Van Atta	3.444
14	Lewis-Clark State College	Brian R. Orr	3.387
15	Ottawa University	Bruce Tate	3.377
16	Doane College	Tracee Fairbanks	3.363
17	Indiana Wesleyan University	Steve G. Brooks	3.330
18	University of Montana - Western	Kevin Engellant	3.315
19	Spring Arbor University	Tara Kreklau	3.311
20	Montana State University - Northern	Chris D. Mouat	3.281
21	Loyola University (LA)	DoBee Plaisance	3.254
22	Eastern Oregon University	Anji D. Weissenfluh	3.253
23	Baker University	Susan D. Decker	3.248
24	Saint Xavier University	Robert Hallberg	3.246
25	Trinity Christian College	Liz. G. Metcalfe	3.227

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.