Three-peat national champs also noted by national coaches group for team GPA, 11th-best in U.S.
In addition to their record-breaking performance in winning a third straight national tournament, the Kirkwood Community College Women’s Basketball team didn’t let up on their studies, either. The team has just been honored as one of the top academic-performing two-year teams in the U.S.
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced its winners for the 2008-09 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. 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.
Kirkwood’s team GPA of 3.158 put the school’s program at number 11 in all national programs. Kirkwood also earned a Top 20 ranking in the 2007-08 academic year.
“I am pleased by this honor, and it all goes to this great team of young women,” said Kirkwood Head Coach Kim Muhl. “The work ethic and determination of this team speaks for itself. They are great players now and they will do well in their families, careers and communities in the future.”
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.
“It is always an honor for the WBCA to recognize these teams for putting together outstanding cumulative grade point averages,” WBCA CEO Beth Bass said. “We want to congratulate each and every one of these teams for their efforts in the classroom and want them to know that we celebrate their hard work. My thanks go out to these teams for setting a benchmark of success academically among their peers in the sport.”
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.
[Original/national information supplied by WBCA.]