CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina women’s basketball again has been named to the 2009 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team earning an eighth-place spot with a combined team GPA of 3.428. It is the third-straight year the Lady Catamounts have made the list and fourth time in school history.
“I am proud of those players for making academics a priority,” said former Western Carolina Head Coach Kellie Harper who took over the position at North Carolina State in May. “They have proven they want to be successful in everything they do.”
In 2008, Western Carolina had its highest placement in program history with a fifth place in the WBCA Academic Top 25. The club was ranked 15th in 2007 and tied for sixth in 2001.
Western Carolina is just one of nine programs on the list with 20 or more wins. South Dakota State leads the way with 32 wins in the 2008-09 season. The Lady Catamounts were just one of two teams from the Southeast region and the only representative from the Southern Conference. The Lady Catamounts were also one of seven teams on the honor roll to participate in the 2009 NCAA Tournament play.
Western Carolina won the 2009 Southern Conference Tournament (the second title in school history) and earned its second bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Catamounts ended the 2008-09 season with a 21-12 record, the third straight year the team had amassed 20 or more wins.
The Lady Catamounts are also setting a precedent in the Southern Conference. Western Carolina is the highest placing conference team in the WBCA Academic Top-25 and the only team to earn a spot on the list multiple times. Appalachian State was ranked 25th in 1999 and Chattanooga earned a 23rd ranking in 2000.
The WBCA Academic Top-25 Honor Roll award is given in NCAA Division I NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and Junior College/Community College, awarding 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.
The WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for NCAA Division I is as follows:
|
|
School |
2008-09 Head Coach |
Team GPA |
|
1 |
Indiana State University |
Jim Wiedie |
3.645 |
|
2 |
University of North Dakota |
Gene Roebuck |
3.580 |
|
3 |
South Dakota State University |
Aaron Johnston |
3.571 |
|
4 |
Montana State University-Bozeman |
Tricia Binford |
3.501 |
|
5 |
Bowling Green State University |
Curt Miller |
3.470 |
|
6 |
University of Northern Iowa |
Tanya Warren |
3.437 |
|
7 |
Manhattan College |
Myndi Hill |
3.432 |
|
8 |
Western Carolina University |
Kellie Harper |
3.428 |
|
9 |
Eastern Washington University |
Wendy Schuller |
3.422 |
|
10 |
University of New Mexico |
Don Flanagan |
3.414 |
|
11 |
DePaul University |
Doug Bruno |
3.402 |
|
12 |
Utah Valley University |
Cathy Nixon |
3.390 |
|
13 |
Kansas State University |
Deb Patterson |
3.374 |
|
14 |
Wichita State University |
Jody Adams |
3.361 |
|
15 |
Lehigh University |
Susan Troyan |
3.356 |
|
t16 |
Saint Bonaventure University |
Jim Crowley |
3.353 |
|
t16 |
Cornell University |
Dayna Smith |
3.353 |
|
18 |
Villanova University |
Harry Perretta |
3.346 |
|
19 |
University of Evansville |
Misty Murphy |
3.336 |
|
20 |
Oakland University |
Beckie Francis |
3.323 |
|
t21 |
Charleston Southern University |
Julie Goodenough |
3.320 |
|
t21 |
Columbia University |
Paul Nixon |
3.320 |
|
23 |
University of Wisconsin, Green Bay |
Matthew Bollant |
3.317 |
|
24 |
University of South Dakota |
Ryun Williams |
3.311 |
|
25 |
University of Hartford |
Jennifer Rizzotti |
3.308 |
Photo Credit: Associated Press
