ATLANTA (July 24, 2024) – Youngstown State University, Ashland University, Williams College, Sterling College and Folsom Lake College sit atop their respective divisions in the 2023-24 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls announced today by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
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.
Youngstown State, coached by John Nicolais, finished first among NCAA Division I members with a 3.868 cumulative team grade-point average. Ashland, coached by Kari Pickens, claimed top academic honors in NCAA Division II with a 3.875 GPA. Williams, coached by Patricia Manning, took top honors in NCAA Division III with a 3.856 GPA. Sterling, coached by K.C. Bassett, was No. 1 in the NAIA division with a 3.831 GPA. Folsom Lake, coached by Ali Mollet, finished atop the two-year college standings with a 3.564 GPA.
“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!”
Here are the 2023-24 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls by division. The head coach listed for each institution was its head coach during the 2023-24 season. Teams having a 3.0 combined GPA and qualifying for consideration for the top 25 in their respective divisions are also listed as special mentions.
NCAA Division I
| Rank | Institution | Head Coach | GPA |
| 1 | Youngstown State | John Nicolais | 3.868 |
| 2 | Western Illinois | JD Gravina | 3.866 |
| 3 | Maine | Amy Vachon | 3.856 |
| 4 | Northern Illinois | Lisa Carlsen | 3.811 |
| 5 | Belmont | Bart Brooks | 3.803 |
| T6 | Northern Iowa | Tanya Warren | 3.780 |
| T6 | Green Bay | Kevin Borseth | 3.780 |
| 8 | Missouri | Robin Pingeton | 3.772 |
| 9 | Drake | Allison Pohlman | 3.736 |
| 10 | Toledo | Tricia Cullop | 3.724 |
| 11 | Abilene Christian | Julie Goodenough | 3.715 |
| 12 | Merrimack | Kelly Morrone | 3.696 |
| 13 | Davidson | Gayle Fulks | 3.679 |
| 14 | California Baptist | Daniel Cook | 3.675 |
| 15 | North Florida | Erika Lambert | 3.674 |
| 16 | Wyoming | Heather Ezell | 3.672 |
| 17 | South Dakota State | Aaron Johnston | 3.652 |
| 18 | Houston Christian | Donna Finnie | 3.636 |
| 19 | Northern Arizona | Loree Payne | 3.629 |
| 20 | Saint Peter’s | Jennifer Leedham | 3.628 |
| 21 | Gonzaga | Lisa Fortier | 3.623 |
| 22 | Boise State | Gordy Presnell | 3.614 |
| 23 | Harvard | Carrie Moore | 3.613 |
| 24 | Fairleigh Dickinson | Stephanie Gaitley | 3.606 |
| 25 | NJIT | Mike Lane | 3.595 |
Special Mention: Lafayette, Kia Damon-Olson, 3.594; Portland, Michael Meek, 3.580; UNC Charlotte, Tomekia Reed, 3.573; Minnesota, Dawn Plitzuweit, 3.550; Robert Morris, Chandler McCabe, 3.540; Holy Cross, Maureen Magarity, 3.535; Drexel, Amy Mallon, 3.533; Bradley , Kate Popovec-Goss, 3.529; DePaul, Doug Bruno, 3.529; Richmond, Aaron Roussell, 3.528; Milwaukee, Kyle Rechlicz, 3.527; Western Michigan, Shane Clipfell, 3.522; Albany, Colleen Mullen, 3.521; Stonehill, Trisha Brown, 3.520; UC Santa Barbara, Renee Jimenez, 3.519; Illinois, Shauna Green, 3.509; Bowling Green, Fred Chmiel, 3.508; East Tennessee State , Brenda Mock Brown, 3.506; Valparaiso, Mary Evans, 3.506; Pacific, Bradley Davis, 3.504; Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Royce Chadwick, 3.495; Fresno State, Jaime White, 3.494; Yale, Dalila Eshe, 3.493; Lehigh , Addie Micir, 3.481; Cleveland State, Chris Kielsmeier, 3.480; Fairfield, Carly Thibault, 3.475; Kent State, Todd Starkey, 3.471; Florida Gulf Coast, Karl Smesko, 3.471; Iona, Angelika Szumilo, 3.464; Utah, Lynne Roberts, 3.446; Binghamton, Bethann Shapiro Ord, 3.438; Creighton, Jim Flanery, 3.428; Indiana, Teri Moren, 3.428; Eastern Washington, Joddie Gleason, 3.421; Colgate, Ganiyat Adeduntan, 3.420; Elon, Charlotte Smith, 3.419; Georgetown, Darnell Haney, 3.419; Villanova, Denise Dillon, 3.417; Vanderbilt, Shea Ralph, 3.416; La Salle, Mountain MacGillivray, 3.413; San Diego, Cindy Fisher, 3.412; Florida State, Brooke Wyckoff, 3.410; Montana State, Tricia Binford, 3.409; Saint Joseph’s, Cindy Griffin, 3.401; Stanford, Tara VanDerveer, 3.401; Iowa State, Bill Fennelly, 3.389; Alabama, Kristy Curry, 3.386; Longwood, Erika Lang-Montgomery, 3.383; Illinois State, Kristen Gillespie, 3.380; South Florida, Jose Fernandez, 3.377; Lipscomb, Lauren Sumski, 3.372; Ohio State, Kevin McGuff, 3.372; Denver, Doshia Woods, 3.365; UC Irvine, Tamara Inoue, 3.362; Syracuse, Felisha Legette-Jack, 3.358; California, Charmin Smith, 3.339; Georgia State, Gene Hill, 3.329; New Hampshire, Megan Shoniker, 3.328; Iowa, Lisa Bluder, 3.327; Tulane, Ashley Langford, 3.320; Louisville, Jeff Walz, 3.319; Nevada , Amanda Levens, 3.312; Hofstra, Danielle Santos Atkinson, 3.308; Bethune-Cookman, Janell Crayton, 3.303; Rider , Lynn Milligan, 3.302; Tennessee, Kellie Harper, 3.301; Seton Hall, Anthony Bozzella, 3.298; Portland State, Chelsey Gregg, 3.298; UAB, Randy Norton, 3.297; Liberty, Carey Green, 3.296; Kansas State, Jeff Mittie, 3.281; Penn State, Carolyn Kieger, 3.281; Pennsylvania, Mike McLaughlin, 3.272; St. Bonaventure, James Crowley, 3.250; Massachusetts, Mike Leflar, 3.246; Kansas, Brandon Schneider, 3.245; Sacramento State, Aaron Kallhoff, 3.243; Tulsa, Angie Nelp, 3.239; UNLV, Lindy La Rocque, 3.238; Colorado, JR Payne, 3.225; Niagara, Jada Pierce, 3.222; Southern Illinois, Kelly Bond-White, 3.220; Oklahoma State, Jacie Hoyt, 3.216; Arizona State, Natasha Adair, 3.188; Brigham Young, Amber Whiting, 3.178; West Virginia, Mark Kellogg, 3.163; Central Florida, Sytia Messer, 3.156; Texas A&M-Commerce, Valerie King, 3.151; Oklahoma, Jennie Baranczyk, 3.139; Illinois Chicago, Ashleen Bracey, 3.129; Notre Dame, Niele Ivey, 3.122; UMass Lowell, Denise King, 3.117; Rutgers, Coquese Washington, 3.094; Maryland, Brenda Frese, 3.087; St. John’s, Joe Tartamella, 3.078; Georgia Southern, Anita Howard, 3.046; North Carolina, Courtney Banghart, 3.012; Texas Tech, Krista Gerlich, 3.009; North Texas, Jason Burton, 3.005.
NCAA Division II
| Rank | Institution | Head Coach | GPA |
| 1 | Ashland | Kari Pickens | 3.875 |
| 2 | St. Cloud State | Lori Fish | 3.847 |
| 3 | Montana State Billings | Kevin Woodin | 3.824 |
| 4 | Texas Woman’s | Beth Jillson | 3.810 |
| 5 | Westminster | Asami Morita | 3.802 |
| 6 | Lubbock Christian | Steve Gomez | 3.801 |
| 7 | Chaminade | Michael Edwards | 3.794 |
| 8 | Upper Iowa | Justin Maass | 3.792 |
| 9 | Henderson State | Jill Thomas | 3.786 |
| 10 | Tiffin | Joshua Mason | 3.773 |
| 11 | Eckerd | Paul Honsinger | 3.770 |
| 12 | West Liberty | Kyle Cooper | 3.763 |
| 13 | Fort Hays State | Talia Kahrs | 3.755 |
| 14 | Maryville | Brita Hand | 3.724 |
| 15 | St. Thomas Aquinas | Bill Cleary | 3.719 |
| 16 | Kutztown | Janet Malouf | 3.718 |
| 17 | Central Missouri | David Slifer | 3.716 |
| 18 | Pace | Carrie Seymour | 3.713 |
| 19 | Chestnut Hill | Reggie Hill | 3.692 |
| 20 | Embry-Riddle (FL) | Lisa Wilson | 3.688 |
| 21 | Lee | Marty Rowe | 3.668 |
| 22 | Post | Courtney Burns | 3.665 |
| 23 | Wingate | Ann Hancock | 3.663 |
| 24 | Southern New Hampshire | Karen Pinkos | 3.650 |
| 25 | Colorado Mesa | Taylor Wagner | 3.646 |
Special Mention: Southwest Minnesota State, Tom Webb, 3.641; Rockhurst, Larry Park, 3.635; Point Loma Nazarene, Charity Elliott, 3.635; Northwestern Oklahoma State, Tasha Diesselhorst, 3.633; Emory & Henry, Jaclyn Dickens, 3.625; Missouri S&T, Kira Carter, 3.619; McKendree, Kari Kerkhoff, 3.618; Rollins, Glenn Wilkes, 3.611; Minnesota State, Emilee Thiesse, 3.603; Truman State, Theo Dean, 3.597; MSU Denver, Tanya Haave, 3.595; Seattle Pacific, Mike Simonson, 3.590; Michigan Tech, Samantha Clayton, 3.573; Montevallo, Olivia Chapman, 3.573; Union, Mark Campbell, 3.569; Northwest Nazarene, Steve Steele, 3.561; Franklin Pierce, Mark Swasey, 3.554; Findlay, Michele Durand, 3.554; Harding, Tim Kirby, 3.554; UW-Parkside, Jen Conely, 3.544; D’Youville, Alison Bouman, 3.538; Carson-Newman, Michael Mincey, 3.538; Frostburg State, Jenna Eckleberry, 3.534; Wayne State (MI), Carrie Lohr, 3.530; Pittsburg State, Amanda Davied, 3.518; Azusa Pacific, T.J. Hardeman, 3.516; UVA Wise, Jamie Cluesman, 3.514; Shorter, LaSheena Brooks, 3.514; Alaska Fairbanks, Amy Donovan, 3.514; Emporia State, Brian Ostermann, 3.509; Florida Tech, John Reynolds, 3.490; Hillsdale, Brianna Brennan, 3.457; Gannon, Cleve Wright, 3.452; Davenport, Shonda Sanders, 3.446; Quincy, Courtney Boyd, 3.438; Mercyhurst, Brooklyn Kohlheim, 3.418; Assumption, Kerry Phayre, 3.413; Kentucky State, Amani Williams, 3.408; Hawai’i Hilo, David Kaneshiro, 3.405; Tuskegee, Chiante Wester, 3.402; Daemen, Jenepher Banker, 3.399; Virginia Union, Tierra Terry, 3.378; CSU Monterey Bay, Sarah Hopkins-Chery, 3.369; CSU East Bay, Jenny Thigpin, 3.353; South Dakota Mines, Jeri Jacobson, 3.352; Dominican (CA), Tim LaKose, 3.346; Coker, Melissa DeVore, 3.337; Bentley, C White, 3.329; UNC Pembroke, John Haskins, 3.312; Lincoln, Janice Washington, 3.302; Tusculum, Roger Hodge, 3.266; Newman, Amy Briggs, 3.247; West Florida, Stephanie Yelton, 3.123; Academy of Art, Jesse Clark, 3.109; Converse, Samantha Davidson, 3.070; CSU San Bernardino, Casandra Renno, 3.055.
NCAA Division III
| Rank | Institution | Head Coach | GPA |
| 1 | Williams | Patricia Manning | 3.856 |
| 2 | Martin Luther | Dan Gawrisch | 3.847 |
| 3 | Wartburg | Bob Amsberry | 3.846 |
| 4 | Hardin-Simmons | Kendra Whitehead | 3.824 |
| 5 | Shenandoah | Melissa Smeltzer-Kraft | 3.801 |
| 6 | Sarah Lawrence (NY) | Bradley Alexander | 3.793 |
| 7 | UW-Stevens Point | Matt Hockett | 3.783 |
| 8 | Middlebury | KJ Krasco | 3.765 |
| 9 | Skidmore | Jessica Turner | 3.754 |
| 10 | Colorado College | Katherine Menendez | 3.742 |
| 11 | Washington (St. Louis) | Randi Henderson | 3.730 |
| 12 | Lawrence (WI) | Riley Woldt | 3.725 |
| 13 | St Catherine | Donald Mulhern | 3.721 |
| 14 | Manhattanville | Kate Vlahakis | 3.717 |
| 15 | Springfield | Naomi Graves | 3.715 |
| 16 | Widener | Alisa Kintner | 3.708 |
| 17 | Wesleyan | Kate Mullen | 3.706 |
| T18 | Bowdoin | Megan Phelps | 3.705 |
| T18 | Concordia (MN) | Kim Wagers | 3.705 |
| 20 | Westminster (MO) | Talisha Washington | 3.701 |
| 21 | NYU | Meg Barber | 3.695 |
| T22 | Emory | Misha Jackson | 3.693 |
| T22 | Case Western Reserve | Jennifer Reimer | 3.693 |
| T22 | Wheaton (IL) | Kent Madsen | 3.693 |
| 25 | Gustavus Adolphus | Laurie Kelly | 3.686 |
Special Mention: MIT, Lucia Robinson-Griggs, 3.685; UW-Stout, Hannah Iverson, 3.685; Swarthmore, Dawn Grant, 3.677; Carnegie Mellon, Kathy McConnell-Miller, 3.677; Trine, Andrew Rang, 3.677; Misericordia, Jessica Rini, 3.671; Calvin, Mark Christner, 3.669; Baldwin Wallace, Cheri Harrer, 3.667; SUNY Geneseo, Alyssa Polosky, 3.653; DePauw, Kristin Huffman, 3.652; St. Scholastica, Jason Schmitz, 3.650; Alfred, Mike Moskowitz, 3.649; Denison, Maureen Hirt, 3.647; UW-Oshkosh, Brad Fischer, 3.645; UChicago, Maria Williamson, 3.643; Saint Benedict, Mike Durbin, 3.640; Adrian, Kathy Morris, 3.639; Arcadia, Jackie Hartzell, 3.638; Redlands, Rich Murphy, 3.636; Smith, Lynn Hersey, 3.635; Johns Hopkins, Rodney Rogan, 3.635; Gallaudet, Stephanie Stevens, 3.633; UW-River Falls, Shelby Lyman, 3.630; Penn College, Britni Mohney, 3.624; Fredonia State, Sarah Cartmill, 3.620; Spalding, Ben Arsenault, 3.619; Bryn Mawr, Carla Coleman, 3.618; Haverford, Grace Elliott, 3.618; St. Norbert, Amanda Perry, 3.615; Simpson, Brian Niemuth, 3.611; Suffolk, Ed Leyden, 3.608; WPI, Cherise Galasso, 3.607; Drew, John Olenowski, 3.605; Luther, Amanda Bailey, 3.598; Saint Vincent, James Petruska, 3.597; John Carroll, Elizabeth Andrews, 3.592; Kean, Mandy King, 3.591; Scranton, Ben O’Brien, 3.590; Illinois Wesleyan, Mia Smith, 3.584; Catholic, Matt Donohue, 3.581; Rhodes, Judi Vigneulle, 3.576; Immaculata, Brittany Whalen, 3.574; Hope, Brian Morehouse, 3.570; William Paterson, Erin Monahan, 3.562; St. Joseph’s (ME), Mike McDevitt, 3.560; Wellesley, Jennifer Kroll, 3.560; Marietta, Kole Vivian, 3.558; Stevens, Megan Haughey, 3.552; Mary Washington, Deena Applebury, 3.548; Muskingum, Kelly Broderick, 3.548; Ohio Wesleyan, Stacey Lobdell, 3.547; Christopher Newport, Bill Broderick, 3.546; Millsaps College, Justin LeBlanc, 3.543; Franklin & Marshall, Brianna Spector, 3.539; Houghton, Phil Pellegrino, 3.538; Elizabethtown, Veronica Nolt, 3.534; Occidental, Anahit Aladzhanyan, 3.528; King’s (PA), Caitlin Hadzimichalis, 3.524; William Smith, Lindsay Sharman, 3.522; Randolph-Macon, Lindsey Burke, 3.516; Saint Mary’s (IN), Melissa Makielski, 3.515; Kenyon, Mary Corbett, 3.513; Monmouth (IL), Michelle DeCoud, 3.507; Mount Union, Suzy Venet Pietz, 3.502; Utica, Michele Davis, 3.499; UW-Eau Claire, Tonja Englund, 3.492; Whitman, Michelle Ferenz, 3.489; Dubuque, Justin Smith, 3.486; Ohio Northern, Mark Huelsman, 3.484; York (PA), Betsy Witman, 3.480; Susquehanna, Gabby Holko, 3.479; Lynchburg, Allison Nichols, 3.477; Rhode Island College, Jenna Cosgrove, 3.476; Penn State Behrend, Christine VanHook, 3.474; Fitchburg State, Laura Pierce, 3.472; Rochester Tech, Amy Reed, 3.472; Marywood, Jennifer Carleton, 3.471; Carthage, Megan Jones, 3.467; Gettysburg, Nathan Davis, 3.463; Husson, Kissy Walker, 3.459; Central (IA), Justin Weiland, 3.456; Capital, Camille McPherson, 3.451; DeSales, Fred Richter, 3.442; Muhlenberg, Ron Rohn, 3.440; Washington & Jefferson, Jina DeRubbo, 3.439; McDaniel, Christin Gowan, 3.437; Anderson (IN), Jon Gin, 3.434; Hollins, Emilee Dunton, 3.431; Manchester, Josh Dzurick, 3.425; Marymount, Margaret White, 3.421; Coe, Kayla Waskow, 3.419; Southern Virginia, Lynette Schroeder, 3.417; Rochester, James Scheible, 3.416; Dickinson, Aby Diop, 3.410; Salisbury, Aprile Preller, 3.409; SUNY Brockport, Corinne Jones, 3.409; Augustana (IL), Mark Beinborn, 3.394; Marian (WI), Josh Ward, 3.391; Wilkes, Al Berger, 3.388; Penn State Harrisburg, Ross Patrick, 3.387; Elmira, Thaddeus Phillips, 3.374; Kalamazoo, Ryan Clark, 3.363; Bard, Casi Donelan, 3.362; Babson, Kate Barnosky, 3.361; Chapman, Carol Jue, 3.358; Regis, Samantha Crough, 3.348; Bethany Lutheran, Emma Purfeerst, 3.327; Mount Mary, Joshua Steffen, 3.319; St. Mary’s (MD), Brittney Kemp, 3.300; Moravian, Mary Beth Spirk, 3.295; Willamette, Peg Swadener, 3.286; LeTourneau, Scot MacAllister, 3.278; Heidelberg, Rachel Mease, 3.268; Buena Vista, David Wells, 3.267; Gordon, Carter Shaw, 3.242; Colby-Sawyer, Tim Viola, 3.225; Mount Saint Mary (NY), Marion Dietz, 3.222; Principia, Ramiro Dominguez, 3.200; Keystone, Jason Rhine, 3.123; Mount Aloysius, Brian Giesler, 3.076.
NAIA
| Rank | Institution | Head Coach | GPA |
| 1 | Sterling | K.C. Bassett | 3.831 |
| 2 | Tabor | Shawn Reed | 3.826 |
| 3 | Pikeville | Clifton Williams | 3.824 |
| 4 | Keiser | Pam Oswald | 3.809 |
| T5 | John Brown | Jeff Soderquist | 3.762 |
| T5 | Cumberlands | Rick Reeves | 3.762 |
| 7 | Grand View | Jasmine Stohr | 3.756 |
| 8 | Carroll | Rachelle Sayers | 3.702 |
| 9 | Southern Oregon | Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt | 3.691 |
| 10 | Faulkner | Reed Sutton | 3.677 |
| 11 | Culver-Stockton | Janette Burgin | 3.665 |
| 12 | Cornerstone | Jessica Yonkers | 3.655 |
| 13 | Jamestown | Thad Sankey | 3.596 |
| 14 | Kansas Wesleyan | Ryan Showman | 3.592 |
| 15 | Mid-America Christian | Hannah Moeller | 3.591 |
| 16 | Holy Cross (IN) | Tom Robbins | 3.578 |
| 17 | Indiana Tech | Jessica Biggs | 3.521 |
| 18 | Providence (MT) | Bill Himmelberg | 3.515 |
| 19 | Embry-Riddle (AZ) | Michael Trujillo | 3.496 |
| 20 | Grace | Dan Davis | 3.479 |
| 21 | Rio Grande (OH) | David Smalley | 3.448 |
| 22 | Lourdes | Tandy Bradford | 3.439 |
| 23 | Loyola (New Orleans) | Kellie Kennedy | 3.433 |
| 24 | Ottawa | Hunter Bondurant | 3.388 |
| 25 | Columbia (MO) | James Arnold | 3.387 |
Special Mention: Southwest (NM), Michael Dominguez, 3.362; Siena Heights, Sue Syljebeck, 3.230.
Two-Year College*
| Rank | Institution | Head Coach | GPA |
| 1 | Folsom Lake (CA) | Ali Mollet | 3.564 |
| T2 | Lamar (CO) | Delino Lewis | 3.506 |
| T2 | Solano (CA) | Matt Borchert | 3.506 |
| 4 | Southwestern Oregon | Heather Weber | 3.490 |
| 5 | Rio Hondo (CA) | Rene Herrera | 3.489 |
| 6 | Taft (CA) | Romeo Lagmay, Jr. | 3.480 |
| 7 | Pima (AZ) | Todd Holthaus | 3.478 |
| 8 | Kansas City Kansas | Martina Mihailovic | 3.412 |
| 9 | Minnesota West | Rosalie Hayenga | 3.243 |
| 10 | Cypress (CA) | Brittany Imaku | 3.239 |
| 11 | Northeast Mississippi | Chelsey Rhodes | 3.224 |
| 12 | Pratt (KS) | Eric Rodewald | 3.137 |
* There were only 12 institutions eligible for ranking in the two-year college division.
A team’s GPA is calculated by dividing the total number of quality points (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0) earned by the total number of academic 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 must be nominated for the honor by their head coach who must be a WBCA member. A team must have a 3.000 or better GPA to be nominated.
About the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels of competition. Founded in 1981, 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 coaches to those 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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