ATLANTA, Georgia – Marist Women's Basketball has been recognized in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll, ranking 10
th among Division I members.
Marist boasted a 3.698 cumulative team GPA during the 2019-20 academic year. The Red Foxes are the only MAAC program that ranks in the Top 25.
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. Teams must have a 3.0 GPA to be nominated for the Top 25. The 2019-20 season is the 25th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor rolls.
Marist adds the ranking to a long list of honors following a strong year in the classroom:
- The Red Foxes won the Athletic Director's Award, which goes to each men's and women's team with the highest cumulative GPA that season. It was the first time since 1997 the program garnered the award.
- In both semesters, Marist ranked near the top of the department in team GPA. The team had the highest women's GPA during the fall semester at 3.56, as 10 Red Foxes achieved a 3.5 GPA or higher. In the spring semester, with a modified online schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the squad had a 3.81 GPA, the third-highest in the entire department.
- Marist totaled nine selections on the 2019-20 MAAC All-Academic Team, an improvement from the previous season and tied for second-most in the conference. Sarah Barcello, Allie Best, Willow Duffell, Rebekah Hand, Hannah Hand, Kendall Krick, Claire Oberdorf, Molly Smith, and Grace Vander Weide were named to the All-Academic Team.
- Individually, Rebekah Hand and Alana Gilmer were named Senior CLASS Award Candidates, which includes contributions at the academic, athletic, leadership, and community service levels.
- Hand was also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. She was the only MAAC student-athlete to be named to a team, and was on the District I team with four other student-athletes who were from Ivy League programs.
