For the second year in a row, South Dakota State University posted the highest team grade-point average in all levels of women’s college basketball, officials from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced Monday.

“This is another great accomplishment for our team,” Jackrabbit head coach Aaron Johnston said. “Our players have always taken the award seriously, and it is great to see they have been honored two years in a row.”

In making the Academic Top 25 Honor Roll for the fourth consecutive year and fifth time overall, the Jackrabbits led the nation during the 2006-07 academic year with a 3.693 team GPA. That mark was a slight dropoff from their 3.73 team GPA during the 2005-06 season.

In three seasons competing at the Division I level, SDSU has placed no worse than second among its D-I counterparts in team GPA. The Jackrabbits placed second in 2004-05 with a 3.567 team GPA, after closing out their tenure as an NCAA Division II institution during the 2003-04 season with a 3.407 team GPA to rank 13th within the division.

The Jackrabbits received the team academic award for the first time during the 1999-2000 season with a 3.469 team GPA.

Not only have the Jackrabbits excelled in the classroom, they have performed well on the court. SDSU posted a 25-6 record during the 2006-07 season and reached the quarterfinals of the Women’s NIT, becoming the first transition team to play in the postseason tournament. In three seasons at the Division I level, SDSU has compiled a 48-22 record versus D-I competition.

During the 2006-07 season, seven Jackrabbit players were honored on the Division I Independent All-Academic Team: senior Megan Vogel, juniors Courtney Grimsrud and Andrea Verdegan, and sophomores Morgan Meier, Ashlea Muckenhirn, Stacie Oistad and Jennifer Warkenthien.

Northern Iowa ranked second among Division I teams with a 3.624 team GPA, while NCAA Division III leader Hardin-Simmons (Texas) was second among all divisions with a 3.664 team GPA.

Other division leaders included: Lake Superior State (Mich.), NCAA Division II, 3.588; Hardin-Simmons (Texas) NCAA Division III, 3.644; Dana College (Neb.), NAIA, 3.617, and Iowa Lakes Community College (Kan.), junior colleges, 3.590.

WBCA TOP 25 HONOR ROLL
DIVISION I
1. South Dakota State 3.693
2. Northern Iowa 3.624
3. Saint Bonaventure (N.Y.) 3.594
4. Montana State 3.557
5. Brown (R.I.) 3.517
6. Oakland (Mich.) 3.515
7. Liberty (Va.) 3.508
8. Eastern Washington 3.471
9. Niagara (N.Y.) 3.457
10. Eastern Illinois 3.442
11. Villanova (Pa.) 3.432
12. Valparaiso (Ind.) 3.419
13. Indiana State 3.398
14. Marist (N.Y.) 3.389
15. Western Carolina 3.387
16. San Francisco (Calif.) 3.382
17. Saint Louis (Mo.) 3.336
18. Wisconsin-Green Bay 3.334
19. Southern Illinois 3.318
20. Evansville (Ind.) 3.313
21. Cleveland State (Ohio) 3.310
22. Northern Arizona 3.307
23. Bowling Green (Ohio) 3.300
24. Utah Valley State 3.298
25. DePaul (Ill.) 3.294

ALL DIVISIONS
1. South Dakota State (I) 3.693
2. Hardin-Simmons (III) 3.664
3. McDaniel (Md.) (III) 3.625
4. Northern Iowa (I) 3.624
5. Dana (Neb.) (NAIA) 3.617
6. Indiana Wesleyan (NAIA) 3.598
7. Saint Bonaventure (N.Y.) (I) 3.594
8. Oklahoma Christian (NAIA) 3.591
9. Iowa Lakes (JUCO) 3.590
10. Lake Superior State (Mich.) (II) 3.588
Note: Classification denoted in parentheses