UVU Women's Basketball Garners Top Div. I GPA in Nation Add Comment    Aug 06, 2010

Coach Nixon's squad led every Division I institution with a 3.630 GPA. 

ATLANTA - The Utah Valley University women's basketball team was recognized on Tuesday by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) for having the best NCAA Division I team GPA in the nation, with a 3.630, for the 2009-10 academic year. 

"I'm so excited for our girls," UVU head coach Cathy Nixon Said. "To watch them on a daily basis and see how committed they are academically, this is a tremendous recognition for them. I just really credit the girls." 

"This isn't only a credit to the three or four girls that had a 4.0 this past year but also those who might not be 4.0 students but did everything they could to keep their GPAs up. From top-to-bottom I am just thrilled for our kids. What an honor," Nixon added. 

This is the fourth consecutive appearance for UVU on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. 2009-10 marks the first year that the Wolverines have secured the top spot amongst NCAA Division I institutions. Aside from its classroom successes, Utah Valley capped off its season by winning the inaugural Great West Conference Tournament championship and finished the year with a 10-22 record. 

"What a fantastic accomplishment for our women's basketball team," UVU Director of Athletics Michael V. Jacobsen said. "To finish number one in the nation, our first full NCAA eligible year is such an outstanding accomplishment for Coach Nixon and our student athletes. We could not be more proud and happy for them."

 

This award, given in NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and Junior College/Community College, recognizes 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. 

DivisionInstitution                  Head CoachTeam GPA

NCAA IUtah Valley UniversityCathy Nixon3.630

NCAA IIMichigan Technological UniversityJohn Barnes3.732

NCAA IIICarnegie Mellon UniversityGeraldine Seidl3.616

NAIADana CollegeM. Shane Larson3.727

JC/CCSheridan CollegeFrank McCarthy3.575 

Four of the five institutions are at the top spot for their division on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Honor Roll for the first time. Dana College claimed the top spot in NAIA for the second year in a row and fourth time overall for their division. In Division I, Utah Valley University is making its fourth Top 25, while Michigan Tech University (Division II) has appeared six times prior. Carnegie Mellon University (Division III) and Sheridan College (JC/CC) are both appearing in the Top 25 for the first time. 

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. 

"Congratulations to these teams who have excelled academically during the 2009-10 school year," WBCA CEO Beth Bass said. "Each of these coaches set an extraordinary example for their peers to follow by holding academics in such high esteem with their student-athletes." 

The WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for NCAA Division I is as follows: 

RankSchool2009-10 Head CoachTeam GPA

1Utah Valley University                  Cathy Nixon3.630

2South Dakota State UniversityAaron Johnston3.622

3Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore CountyPhil Stern3.578

4Indiana State University                  Teri Moren3.508

5Creighton University                  Jim Flanery3.506

6Bowling Green State UniversityCurt Miller3.500

7University of Northern IowaTanya Warren3.464

8DePaul University                  Douglas Bruno3.455

9Lipscomb University                  Frank Bennett3.452

10University of North DakotaGene Roebuck3.442

11University of New Mexico                  Don Flanagan3.433

12North Dakota State UniversityCarolyn DeHoff3.427

13Northern Arizona UniversityLaurie Kelly3.425

14Bucknell University                  Kathy Fedorjaka3.422

15Monmouth University                  Stephanie Gaitley3.412

16University of South DakotaRyun Williams3.368

17Saint Bonaventure UniversityJim Crowley3.354

18University of Northern ColoradoJaime White3.351

19University of Denver                   Erik Johnson3.342

20Seattle University                   Joan Bonvicini3.341

21University of Wisconsin, MilwaukeeSandy Botham3.340

22Eastern Washington University           Wendy Schuller3.328

23University of Hartford                  Jennifer Rizzotti3.321

24Oakland University                  Beckie Francis3.318

25Cornell University                  Dayna Smith3.308

-Utah College Sports News staff and wire reports

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