WBCA Recognizes Women’s Basketball Among Nation’s Top Academically

ATLANTA, Ga. – King College Women’s Basketball has placed itself among the top institutions in the nation in NCAA Division II and across all collegiate divisions in team academics. Tuesday morning, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced the Top 25 Team Honor Rolls for the 2011-12 season that placed the Lady Tornado second within NCAA Division II and third overall among all NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA, and NJCCA institutions.

King earned the second-best overall team grade point average (GPA) among all NCAA Division II school, posting a cumulative 3.692 on a 4.0 scale during the 2011-12 academic year. That mark places them third overall when comparing them against teams from all five collegiate divisions represented within the WBCA. The Lady Tornado possessed a higher GPA than all NCAA Division I, III, NAIA, junior, and community colleges and placed third overall in team GPA in the country.

“I am very proud of the young ladies in our program with how hard they have worked in the classroom,” said Head Coach Josh Thompson. “It is great to be recognized alongside the top teams in the country, academically. This is a testament to the character of our players and that they understand it is important to work hard on the court but more importantly to work hard toward their academic success.”

The Lady Tornado rank behind only Division II leader Drury University (Ill.) and Division III leader Northland College (Wis.) who recorded 3.709 and 3.706 team grade point averages, respectively.

Thompson added, “We always look to push our players toward excellence. We will to continue to recruit players who will contribute to our team on the court and maintain a high standard in the classroom.”

The WBCA Academic Top 25 annually recognizes NCAA Divisions I, II and III; NAIA; and junior/community college women’s basketball teams across the nation that carry the highest combined grade point averages inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season.  The 2011-12 season is the 17^th in which the WBCA has produced the honor rolls.

Below are the top honorees by division, their head coaches and combined GPAs:

In a statement from WBCA CEO Beth Bass, she stated, “I look forward to the release of the Academic Top 25 each summer because our society places so much emphasis on winning games and championships, it is a refreshing change of pace when we recognize those teams that excel in the classroom.

“Like winning on the court, academic success on a team level does not happen by accident.  It requires a group of student-athletes who realize the importance of education and earning their degrees, coaches who expect and encourage their players to attend class and study, and administrators who provide strong academic support programs for their athletes,” said Bass.

“The teams composing the Academic Top 25 each year are always the real winners in women’s college basketball.”

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 GPAs 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.

NCAA Division I

Below is the complete 2012 WBCA Academic Top 25 for NCAA Division I:
(**-NCAA tournament; *-left after season)

NCAA Division II

Below is the complete 2012 WBCA Academic Top 25 for NCAA Division II:
(**-NCAA tournament; *-left after season)

NCAA Division III

Below is the complete 2012 WBCA Academic Top 25 for NCAA Division III:
(**-NCAA tournament; *-left after season)

NAIA

Below is the complete 2012 WBCA Academic Top 25 for NAIA:
(***-NAIA Division I tournament; **-NAIA Division II tournament; *-left after season)

Junior/Community College

Below is the complete 2012 WBCA Academic Top 25 for junior/community colleges:
(**-NJCAA Division II tournament; *-California Community College Athletic Association tournament)

About the WBCA:

Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association 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 more information on the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.