Women's Basketball Listed in WBCA Academic Top 25 Honor Roll; Posts Top GPA in MIAA - FHSU Athletics (2024)

ATLANTA - The Fort Hays State women's basketball team ranked 13th in the 2023-24 WBCA NCAA Division II Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll, announced Wednesday (July 24) by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.

The Tigers completed the latest academic year with a team GPA of 3.755, leading the MIAA for the sixth time out of the last seven seasons. The Tigers have been listed in the top 25 nationally in each of the last four seasons, nine of the last 10 seasons and 14 times overall.

Thirteen members of the team were listed on this year's MIAA Academic Honor Roll, including five that took home additional academic honors from the conference office. Katie Wagner was selected as the winner of the MIAA Ken B. Jones Award, given to the top student-athlete across all conference sports on an annual basis. Kate Dilsaver, Landon Forbes and Ellie Stearns all earned the MIAA Academic Excellence Award for carrying a 4.00 GPA, while Olivia Hollenbeck and Wagner both received the MIAA Scholar-Athlete Award for earning All-MIAA honors and holding a GPA of 3.50 or better. In addition, Dilsaver, Hollenbeck, Wagner and Jessie Sallach were all named to the CSC Academic All-District team.

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.

Fort Hays State's historical rankings in the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll and the complete 2023-24 Top 25 can be found below.

FHSU in the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll
Year | Rank - GPA
2023-24 | 13th - 3.755
2022-23 | 6th - 3.805
2021-22 | 1st - 3.814
2020-21 | 3rd - 3.764
2018-19 | 6th - 3.708
2017-18 | 13th - 3.667
2016-17 | 13th - 3.624
2015-16 | 22nd - 3.559
2014-15 | 23rd - 3.536
2012-13 | 14th - 3.500
2011-12 | 4th - 3.628
2010-11 | 12th - 3.523
2009-10 | T14th - 3.473
2002-03 | 16th - 3.444

Rank - Institution - Head Coach - GPA
1 - Ashland - Kari Pickens - 3.875
2 - St. Cloud State - Lori Fish - 3.847
3 - Montana State Billings - Kevin Woodin - 3.824
4 - Texas Woman's - Beth Jillson - 3.810
5 - Westminster - Asami Morita - 3.802
6 - Lubbock Christian - Steve Gomez - 3.801
7 - Chaminade - Michael Edwards - 3.794
8 - Upper Iowa - Justin Maass - 3.792
9 - Henderson State - Jill Thomas - 3.786
10 - Tiffin - Joshua Mason - 3.773
11 - Eckerd - Paul Honsinger - 3.770
12 - West Liberty - Kyle Cooper - 3.763
13 - Fort Hays State - Talia Kahrs - 3.755
14 - Maryville - Brita Hand - 3.724
15 - St. Thomas Aquinas - Bill Cleary - 3.719
16 - Kutztown - Janet Malouf - 3.718
17 - Central Missouri - David Slifer - 3.716
18 - Pace - Carrie Seymour - 3.713
19 - Chestnut Hill - Reggie Hill - 3.692
20 - Embry-Riddle (FL) - Lisa Wilson - 3.688
21 - Lee - Marty Rowe - 3.668
22 - Post - Courtney Burns - 3.665
23 - Wingate - Ann Hanco*ck - 3.663
24 - Southern New Hampshire - Karen Pinkos - 3.650
25 - Colorado Mesa - Taylor Wagner - 3.646

Special Mention: Southwest Minnesota State, Tom Webb, 3.641; Rockhurst, Larry Park, 3.635; Point Loma Nazarene, Charity Elliott, 3.635; Northwestern Oklahoma State, Tasha Diesselhorst, 3.633; Emory & Henry, Jaclyn Dickens, 3.625; Missouri S&T, Kira Carter, 3.619; McKendree, Kari Kerkhoff, 3.618; Rollins, Glenn Wilkes, 3.611; Minnesota State, Emilee Thiesse, 3.603; Truman State, Theo Dean, 3.597; MSU Denver, Tanya Haave, 3.595; Seattle Pacific, Mike Simonson, 3.590; Michigan Tech, Samantha Clayton, 3.573; Montevallo, Olivia Chapman, 3.573; Union, Mark Campbell, 3.569; Northwest Nazarene, Steve Steele, 3.561; Franklin Pierce, Mark Swasey, 3.554; Findlay, Michele Durand, 3.554; Harding, Tim Kirby, 3.554; UW-Parkside, Jen Conely, 3.544; D'Youville, Alison Bouman, 3.538; Carson-Newman, Michael Mincey, 3.538; Frostburg State, Jenna Eckleberry, 3.534; Wayne State (MI), Carrie Lohr, 3.530; Pittsburg State, Amanda Davied, 3.518; Azusa Pacific, T.J. Hardeman, 3.516; UVA Wise, Jamie Cluesman, 3.514; Shorter, LaSheena Brooks, 3.514; Alaska Fairbanks, Amy Donovan, 3.514; Emporia State, Brian Ostermann, 3.509; Florida Tech, John Reynolds, 3.490; Hillsdale, Brianna Brennan, 3.457; Gannon, Cleve Wright, 3.452; Davenport, Shonda Sanders, 3.446; Quincy, Courtney Boyd, 3.438; Mercyhurst, Brooklyn Kohlheim, 3.418; Assumption, Kerry Phayre, 3.413; Kentucky State, Amani Williams, 3.408; Hawai'i Hilo, David Kaneshiro, 3.405; Tuskegee, Chiante Wester, 3.402; Daemen, Jenepher Banker, 3.399; Virginia Union, Tierra Terry, 3.378; CSU Monterey Bay, Sarah Hopkins-Chery, 3.369; CSU East Bay, Jenny Thigpin, 3.353; South Dakota Mines, Jeri Jacobson, 3.352; Dominican (CA), Tim LaKose, 3.346; co*ker, Melissa DeVore, 3.337; Bentley, C White, 3.329; UNC Pembroke, John Haskins, 3.312; Lincoln, Janice Washington, 3.302; Tusculum, Roger Hodge, 3.266; Newman, Amy Briggs, 3.247; West Florida, Stephanie Yelton, 3.123; Academy of Art, Jesse Clark, 3.109; Converse, Samantha Davidson, 3.070; CSU San Bernardino, Casandra Renno, 3.055.