Women's Basketball Lead WBCA in Division III G.P.A.
Aug 2, 2016
ATLANTA (August 2, 2016) — St. Francis College Brooklyn, Upper Iowa University, University of Dubuque, Mount Marty College and Northwest College sit atop their respective divisions in the 2015-16 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls announced today by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
St. Francis Brooklyn, coached by John Thurston, finished first among NCAA Division I members with a 3.712 cumulative team grade-point average. Upper Iowa, coached by Carol Russell, led NCAA Division II members with a 3.731 GPA. University of Dubuque, coached by Mark Noll, took top honors in NCAA Division III with a 3.685 GPA. Mount Marty, coached by Tom Schlimgen, was No. 1 in the NAIA division with a 3.828 GPA. And Northwest College, coached by Janis Beal, led all junior/community college members with a 3.575 GPA.
"By accomplishing this wonderful honor shows the quality of student-athletes we have here at UD," commented head coach Mark Noll. "Last year we finished third and I thought our young ladies did a tremendous job in the classroom and on the court, but to move up to be the top in NCAA Division III is pretty amazing."
The WBCA Academic Top-25 recognizes NCAA Division I, II and III; NAIA and junior/community college women’s basketball teams across the nation that carry the highest combined GPAs inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season. The 2015-16 season is the 21st in which the WBCA as compiled the honor rolls.
“Congratulations to each of the teams recognized in the 2015-16 WBCA Academic Top 25,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “Their head coaches are to be commended for fostering an environment of excellence for their student-athletes both on the court and, more importantly, in the classroom."
Here are the 2015-16 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls by division. The head coach listed for each institution was its head coach during the 2015-16 season.
NCAA Division III
Rank |
Institution |
Head Coach |
GPA |
1 |
University of Dubuque |
Mark Noll |
3.685 |
2 |
Westminster College (Missouri) |
Tracey Braden |
3.662 |
3 |
Emerson College |
Bill Gould |
3.611 |
T4 |
Houghton College |
Alicia Mucher |
3.605 |
T4 |
University of California, Santa Cruz |
Todd Kent |
3.605 |
6 |
Lancaster Bible College |
Katelyn Vanderhoff |
3.585 |
7 |
Bethel University (Minnesota) |
Jon Herbrechtsmeyer |
3.584 |
8 |
Yeshiva University |
Michael Alon |
3.579 |
9 |
Lakeland College |
Aaron Nester |
3.570 |
10 |
North Central University |
Paul Brunner |
3.560 |
11 |
Kalamazoo College |
Katie Miller |
3.555 |
12 |
Nebraska Wesleyan University |
Britni Fett |
3.553 |
13 |
Olivet College |
Nicole Burford |
3.544 |
14 |
New York University |
Lauren Hall-Gregory |
3.539 |
15 |
Washington and Lee University |
Christine Clancy |
3.538 |
16 |
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point |
Shirley Egner |
3.532 |
17 |
Elmhurst College |
Tethnie Carrillo |
3.531 |
T18 |
Simmons College |
Kristen Rasmussen |
3.529 |
T18 |
Monmouth College |
Kyle Wilson |
3.529 |
20 |
Chatham University |
Sandy Rectenwald |
3.519 |
21 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Sonia Raman |
3.509 |
T22 |
Capital University |
Dixie Jeffers |
3.493 |
T22 |
Millikin University |
Lori Kerans |
3.493 |
T24 |
The College of New Jersey |
Dawn Henderson |
3.487 |
T24 |
Waynesburg University |
Sam Jones |
3.487
|