ATLANTA, Ga. – The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) 2021-22 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls have been announced and Saint Joseph's College is one of NCAA DIII programs to receive 'Special Mention'.
During the 2021-22 academic year, Saint Joseph's posted a 3.507 team GPA, the top mark in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) and 49th-highest in all of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball.
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 2021-22 season is the 27th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor rolls.
This year's release also marks the first year in which all teams which qualified for the top 25 rankings with the minimum 3.0 GPA also are recognized with 'Special Mention' for their academic accomplishment.
"The WBCA family of coaches is committed to the student-athlete experience and celebrates these teams that have demonstrated excellence in the classroom," said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. "This year's WBCA Academic Top 25 is a powerful list of teams and their head coaches who have winning cultures that prepare their student-athletes for success in life.
"We are also pleased this year to recognize all teams that achieved the minimum 3.0 combined GPA required for nomination. That alone is no small feat considering the rigors of playing college athletics."
Under the watch of 30th-year Head Coach Mike McDevitt '83 last winter, the Monks enjoyed another fantastic season with a 22-5 (.815) overall record, including a 14-2 (.875) mark in GNAC play, en route to claiming the #3 seed in the GNAC Tournament.
After defeating #6 Rivier and #2 Albertus Magnus in the first two rounds of the tourney, the Monks advanced to the GNAC Championship game for the sixth-consecutive season. Playing at top-seeded Emmanuel College in the title bout, St. Joe's nearly overcame a slow start with a strong second half but ultimately fell short, 78-70, in what was the sixth GNAC Championship matchup featuring the pair of conference contenders.
The Monks claim national academic acclaim with the help of nine GNAC All-Academic honorees, as seniors Alyson Fillion, Grace Philippon, Cassandra Stapelfeld, and Kaleigh Walsh, juniors Jayne Howe and Mikayla Van Zandt, and sophomores Hailey Anderson, Nina Howe and Angelica Hurley collected accolades for their efforts in the classroom.
About the Women's Basketball Coaches Association
For 40 years, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association has been 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 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.
