ATLANTA -- The John Brown University women's basketball team returned to the Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for a fifth consecutive season, announced Wednesday (July 24) morning by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
The Golden Eagles - for a second-straight season - set a new program record by not only once again producing the top team GPA in the Sooner Athletic, but the squad's 3.762 during the 2023-24 academic year finished tied for fifth in the NAIA, a program record. Last season, the ladies finished sixth, and the year before that in 12th. John Brown has now made the Team Honor Roll Top 25 list six times in the previous seven seasons.
The award caps off a strong academic showing from the ladies in the classroom this past academic year, as the squad reeled in nine NAIA-Scholar Athlete (3.5 GPA) selections and all 14 rostered Golden Eagles qualified for the Sooner Athletic Commissioner's Honor Roll (3.0 GPA).
The WBCA Academic Top 25 recognizes NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA and two-year college women's basketball teams across the nation that carry the highest combined GPAs inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season. The 2023-24 season is the 29th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor rolls.
"The WBCA is pleased to recognize those women's basketball programs that have committed themselves to excellence on the court and in the classroom," said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. "The 112 teams we honor this year strive to achieve all-around success and we commend their efforts. Congratulations!"
Mid-America Christian (Okla.) was the only other SAC program to qualify for the prestiguous Top 25 Honor Roll. The Evangels' team GPA of 3.591 finished 15th in the final standings.
About the Women's Basketball Coaches Association
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit WBCA.org for more details about the association.
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