Upper Midwest Athletic Conference

By Dan Roiger

ASHLAND, Wis. (July 15, 2008) -- The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced its winners for the 2007-08 Academic Top 25 Honor Roll yesterday, and the Northland College LumberJills were honored as one of the Top 25 teams.  This award, given in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, along with NAIA and Junior Colleges, awards teams throughout the nation that carry the high grade point averages (GPA) for the entire season, based on nominations by head coaches.

“I would like to say congratulations to each and every one of these teams for producing some impressive cumulative grade point averages,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass.  “These numbers would be notable for one student-athlete alone, but for an entire team to compile overall GPAs such as this is truly remarkable.  I tip my hat to these programs and wish continued success both on and off the court.” 

The Jills were ranked 13^th in NCAA Division III, posting a cumulative 3.430 GPA among their 12 players for the entire year.  In addition to their classroom success, the team finished 16-11 this past season, and 10-4 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference.  They took second place in the regular season, just one game out of first place, and advanced to the championship game of their conference tournament.  They return their entire starting lineup for next season and 87% of their scoring. 

Head Coach Dan Roiger was very excited for the classroom success of his team, “What a great accomplishment and recognition for all the hard work that our players put into their studies!  The women on our team have made the entire Northland College community very proud.  They have committed themselves to success both in the classroom and on the court.  This is what Division III is all about, and our players are truly student-athletes.  I am very proud of their success!”  Next year’s junior and one of the captains, Chelsea Lundgren (Crosby, MN), who carried a 3.96 GPA for the year, was ecstatic about being a member of a nationally recognized Academic Team.  She said, “I know personally that being in athletics helps me focus better and makes me utilize my time wisely.  I also know that my teammates take their classes seriously and are very busy with studying; we often hangout in someone’s townhouse and we are all together, each doing their homework for their classes.  It’s a fun way to be together as a team but still take our academics seriously.”

The WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for NCAA Division III is as follows: