Bowling Green State University Athletics
Best of Both Worlds: Classy Falcons Listed on WBCA Academic Top 25 Honor Roll
July 17, 2007 | Women's Basketball
July 17, 2007
ATLANTA, Ga. (BGSUFalcons.com) - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team had the most successful season in program history on the court in 2006-07. Head coach Curt Miller's program had one of the most successful campaigns in the classroom as well.
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The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) has announced its 2006-07 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for each division, and BGSU is ranked on the NCAA Division I list. The awards recognized teams throughout the nation that have the highest grade point averages (GPA) for the 2006-07 season based upon nominations submitted by WBCA-member coaches.
"It is a great accomplishment for our student-athletes to finish the year in the Top 25 academically," said Miller. "It speaks to the commitment and hard work of our players to not only excel on the court, but also in the classroom."
Miller's Falcons had a team GPA of 3.300 for the '06-07 campaign, ranking 23rd on the list. BGSU is the only program in the nation to be listed in the WBCA Academic Top 25 as well as in both of the final national polls. BG ended the season ranked 15th in the final USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll, and the Falcons were 20th in the Associated Press poll.
The only other programs on the WBCA list that also ranked in the top 25 were Marist College and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. UWGB was ranked 21st in the final AP poll, which is released prior to the NCAA Championships, but the Phoenix were not listed in the top-25 of the last USA Today/ESPN poll (released following the national championship game). Marist was not among the top-25 schools in the final AP poll, but rose to 22nd in the last USA Today/ESPN listing.
On a regional level, the Falcons' inclusion is notable for several other reasons. First, BGSU is the only Mid-American Conference program on the list. Additionally, the Falcons are one of just two programs from Ohio in the top-25 (Cleveland State is 21st).
"We reached the `Dream Double' -- Top 25 on the court and Top 25 in the classroom," said Miller. "I am so proud for our student-athletes as they continue to be great ambassadors of Bowling Green State University."
BGSU, as mentioned, posted the greatest season in school and MAC history. The Falcons won league regular-season and tournament titles for the third year in a row, and BG finished 31-4 overall, for the most victories ever by a MAC basketball program (men's or women's). Miller and company also became the MAC's first-ever women's basketball team to advance to the `Sweet 16' of the NCAA Championships. The Falcons beat Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt in the national tourney before falling to Arizona State.
The WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for NCAA Division I is as follows:
| | School | 2006-07 Head Coach | Team GPA |
| 1 | South Dakota State University | Aaron Johnston |
3.693
|
| 2 | University Of Northern Iowa | Tanya Warren |
3.624
|
| 3 | Saint Bonaventure University | Jim Crowley |
3.594
|
| 4 | Montana State University-Bozeman | Tricia Binford |
3.557
|
| 5 | Brown University | Jean Marie Burr |
3.517
|
| 6 | Oakland University | Beckie Francis |
3.515
|
| 7 | Liberty University | Carey Green |
3.508
|
| 8 | Eastern Washington University | Wendy Schuller |
3.471
|
| 9 | Niagara University | William Agronin |
3.457
|
| 10 | Eastern Illinois University | Brady Sallee |
3.442
|
| 11 | Villanova University | Harry Perretta |
3.432
|
| 12 | Valparaiso University | Keith Freeman |
3.419
|
| 13 | Indiana State University | Jim Wiedie |
3.398
|
| 14 | Marist College | Brian Giorgis |
3.389
|
| 15 | Western Carolina University | Kellie Harper |
3.387
|
| 16 | University Of San Francisco | Tanya Haave |
3.382
|
| 17 | Saint Louis University | Shimmy Gray-Miller |
3.336
|
| 18 | University Of Wisconsin, Green Bay | Matthew Bollant |
3.334
|
| 19 | Southern Illinois Univ. at Carbondale | Dana Eikenberg |
3.318
|
| 20 | University Of Evansville | Tricia Cullop |
3.313
|
| 21 | Cleveland State University | Kate Peterson |
3.310
|
| 22 | Northern Arizona University | Laurie Kelly |
3.307
|
| 23 | Bowling Green State University | Curt Miller |
3.300
|
| 24 | Utah Valley State College | Cathy Nixon |
3.298
|
| 25 | DePaul University | Douglas Bruno |
3.294
|
