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WBCA Announces 2003 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls for 2002-03 Season
NCAA Divisions I, II, III, NAIA & JC/CC Schools Earn Distinction

WBCA Announces 2003 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls for 2002-03 Season

NCAA Divisions I, II, III, NAIA & JC/CC Schools Earn Distinction

ATLANTA, Ga.(October 7, 2003) -- The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) today announced its 2002-2003 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and Junior College/Community College. The awards recognize the nation's highest team grade point averages (GPA) for the 2002-03 season based upon nominations submitted by WBCA-member coaches.

"It incredible to see the GPAs each Top 25 team produces year in and year out," said Beth Bass, the Chief Executive Officer of the WBCA. "These teams set a precedent among student-athletes and deserve to be recognized for their accomplishment. Congratulations to the 110 teams we honor this year!"

ACADEMIC TOP 25 HONOR ROLL 2002-2003
Division
Institution
2002-03 Head Coach
GPA
Top 25 Range
NCAA I Indiana State University Jim Wiedie 3.639 3.639-3.228
NCAA II University of Nebraska-Kearney Carol Russell 3.723 3.723-3.336
NCAA III Whitworth College Helen Higgs 3.573 3.573-3.314
NAIA Concordia (NE) University Todd Voss 3.660 3.660-2.967*
JC/CC Salt Lake Community College Betsy Specketer 3.467 3.467-2.864*
*Top 24 Range
*Top 10 Range

Indiana State University and the University of Nebraska-Kearney make their first, first-place finishes in the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll, while Whitworth (2000), Concordia (2000, 2001, and 2002) and Salt Lake Community College (2000) have all earned top honors in the noted previous years. Concordia makes an unprecedented fourth consecutive No. 1 finish.

GPAs are calculated by dividing the total number of quality points earned by each student-athlete on an institution's squad list 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.

2003 Junior College/Community College Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll

1. Salt Lake Community College Betsy Specketer 3.467
2. Bethany Lutheran College Lyle Jones 3.454
3. Kishwaukee College Karen Wiley 3.426
4. Independence Community College Jim Chambers 3.301
5. Frank Phillips College Valery Jackson 3.224
6. Dean College Jeff Kelly 3.165
7. Northland College Mike Zachow 3.108
8. John Wood Community College Norm Rodriguez 2.923
9. Yavapai College Brad Clifford 2.864

* = 9 nominations were submitted to the WBCA for 2003

2003 NCAA Division I Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll [complete list]
2003 NCAA Division II Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll [complete list]
2003 NCAA Division III Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll [complete list]
2003 NAIA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll [complete list]
2003 Junior College/Community College Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll [complete list]

Founded in 1981, the 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 an amateur sport for women and girls. For more information about the WBCA, please visit WBCA.org.

 
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