ATLANTA – For the third consecutive season, the Western Illinois women’s basketball team was named to the WBCA (Women’s Basketball Coaches Association) Academic Team Honor Roll on Tuesday (Aug. 11).
The Leathernecks finished fourth among NCAA Division 1 members with a 3.751 grade point average while eight student-athletes boasted a perfect 4.0, 11 finished with a 3.6 or higher, and 15 with a 3.0 or higher. Under head coach JD Gravina the program has earned the recognition five times.
“I’m so proud of this team and the fact that coming in the top five in the nation in team GPA has become almost the norm for our program,” said Gravina. “Our players really overcame a lot of unique challenges this academic year.”
The Summit League recently announced its Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence where Payton Courier, Carla Flores, Grace Gilmore, Annabel Graettinger, Jinda Guidinger, Avery Hamm, Olivia Kaufmann, Elizabeth Lutz, Danni Nichols, Sam Pryor, and Evan Zars were all honored.
The WBCA Academic Top 25 recognizes NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA and two-year GPAs inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season. The 2019-20 season is the 25th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor rolls.
NCAA Division I
| Rank | Institution | GPA | |
| 1 | University of South Dakota | 3.793 | |
| 2 | Youngstown State University | 3.782 | |
| 3 | Robert Morris University | 3.777 | |
| 4 | Western Illinois University | 3.751 | |
| 5 | Southern Utah University | 3.742 | |
| 6 | Bowling Green State University | 3.726 | |
| 7 | Houston Baptist University | 3.723 | |
| 8 | Lipscomb University | 3.714 | |
| 9 | Belmont University | 3.709 | |
| 10 | Marist College | 3.698 | |
| T11 | Northern Illinois University | 3.696 | |
| T11 | South Dakota State University | 3.696 | |
| 13 | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | 3.692 | |
| 14 | Drake University | 3.690 | |
| T15 | Lehigh University | 3.665 | |
| T15 | Loyola University Maryland | 3.665 | |
| 17 | University of Maine | 3.655 | |
| T18 | Bucknell University | 3.651 | |
| T18 | Lafayette College | 3.651 | |
| T20 | Northern Arizona University | 3.646 | |
| T20 | University of Wyoming | 3.646 | |
| 22 | University of Montana | 3.634 | |
| 23 | Purdue University Fort Wayne | 3.631 | |
| 24 | Southern Illinois University | 3.625 | |
| 25 | Cornell University | 3.619 |
***Report courtesy of WIU Athletics***
