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WBCA Press Release

ATLANTA, Ga. (July 25, 2024) – A successful year in competition translated over to the classroom for the Northern Arizona University women's basketball team, as the Lumberjacks turned in the 19th-highest grade point average in all of Division I women's basketball, earning a spot on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll.

Boasting a 3.629 GPA, the Lumberjacks were the only Big Sky Conference school to be honored. It is the eighth time NAU has made an appearance in the top 25 academic ranking and the first time since the 2019-20 season.

"It is such an honor for our program to be recognized as one of the top Division I women's basketball academic teams in the country," said head coach Loree Payne. "I'm so proud of our players for all their hard work and the dedication on the court and in the classroom."

NAU was previously ranked in the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll in four consecutive years from 2003-04 through 2006-07, again in 2009-10, and then consecutively in 2018-19 and 2019-20. The program's highest-ever ranking was fifth at the conclusion of the 2003-04 academic year.

The women's basketball team had plenty to celebrate academically, as recent graduate Emily Rodabaugh was honored as NAU's Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year and NAU's Golden Eagle Top Scholar. The Lumberjacks had nine representatives on the Big Sky Winter All-Academic Team and 12 student-athletes honored as Golden Eagle Scholars.

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 2023-24 season is the 29th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor rolls.

The 2023-24 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll can be found below. The head coach listed for each institution was its head coach during the 2023-24 season.

Rank Institution Head Coach GPA 1 Youngstown State John Nicolais 3.868 2 Western Illinois JD Gravina 3.866 3 Maine Amy Vachon 3.856 4 Northern Illinois Lisa Carlsen 3.811 5 Belmont Bart Brooks 3.803 T6 Northern Iowa Tanya Warren 3.780 T6 Green Bay Kevin Borseth 3.780 8 Missouri Robin Pingeton 3.772 9 Drake Allison Pohlman 3.736 10 Toledo Tricia Cullop 3.724 11 Abilene Christian Julie Goodenough 3.715 12 Merrimack Kelly Morrone 3.696 13 Davidson Gayle Fulks 3.679 14 California Baptist Daniel Cook 3.675 15 North Florida Erika Lambert 3.674 16 Wyoming Heather Ezell 3.672 17 South Dakota State Aaron Johnston 3.652 18 Houston Christian Donna Finnie 3.636 19 Northern Arizona Loree Payne 3.629 20 Saint Peter's Jennifer Leedham 3.628 21 Gonzaga Lisa Fortier 3.623 22 Boise State Gordy Presnell 3.614 23 Harvard Carrie Moore 3.613 24 Fairleigh Dickinson Stephanie Gaitley 3.606 25 NJIT Mike Lane 3.595

Players Mentioned

#21 Emily Rodabaugh

G/F

6' 0"

Senior