ATLANTA - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team was honored for its academic success Tuesday, July 21, as the program was named Academic Team Honor Roll Special Mention by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. IWU, which boasted a team grade point average of 3.620, was one of two College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin schools recognized.
The Titans shared the CCIW Regular Season title and went on to win the tournament championship in 2025-26. Illinois Wesleyan's season came to a close in overtime in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, ending the year with a 23-6 overall record.
Individually, Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) was voted a College Sports Communicators Second Team Academic All-America selection. She was also named the Titans' winter Jack Swartz Award recipient as one of four women's basketball student-athletes named to the Dave Wrath Academic All-CCIW team.
"The WBCA is pleased to recognize those women's basketball programs that have committed themselves to excellence on the court and in the classroom," said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. "The 119 ranked teams we honor this year across all five collegiate membership divisions strive to achieve all-around success and we commend their efforts. Congratulations!"
The 2025-26 WBCA Academic Top-25 Team Honor Rolls are included below. The head coach listed for each institution was its head coach during the 2025-26 season. Teams having a 3.0 combined GPA and qualifying for consideration for the top-25 in their respective divisions are listed as special mentions.
NCAA Division III
|
Rank
|
Institution
|
Head Coach
|
GPA
|
|
1
|
Neb. Wesleyan
|
Sydney Golladay
|
3.897
|
|
2
|
Hamline
|
Joshua Hersch
|
3.847
|
|
3
|
MIT
|
Lucia Robinson-Griggs
|
3.846
|
|
4
|
Saint Benedict
|
Mike Durbin
|
3.842
|
|
T5
|
St. Catherine
|
Donald Mulhern
|
3.826
|
|
T5
|
Dubuque
|
Madeline Jansen
|
3.826
|
|
7
|
SUNY Canton
|
Chris Klassen
|
3.821
|
|
8
|
Albion
|
Doreen Carden
|
3.815
|
|
9
|
Colorado Col.
|
Katherine Auguste
|
3.793
|
|
10
|
Emerson
|
Bill Gould
|
3.784
|
|
11
|
Guilford
|
Sarah Mathews
|
3.783
|
|
12
|
Messiah
|
Mike Miller
|
3.782
|
|
13
|
Carthage
|
Megan Jones
|
3.780
|
|
14
|
Shenandoah
|
Melissa Smeltzer-Kraft
|
3.778
|
|
15
|
Gustavus Adolphus
|
Laurie Kelly
|
3.777
|
|
16
|
Hardin-Simmons
|
Kendra Whitehead
|
3.774
|
|
17
|
Smith
|
Lynn Hersey
|
3.771
|
|
18
|
Thiel
|
Jessica Vormelker
|
3.766
|
|
19
|
Baldwin Wallace
|
Cheri Harrer
|
3.765
|
|
20
|
St. John Fisher
|
Sarah Cartmill
|
3.764
|
|
21
|
Middlebury
|
KJ Krasco
|
3.758
|
|
22
|
Wis.-Eau Claire
|
Tonja Englund
|
3.757
|
|
23
|
Wis.-Stevens Point
|
Matt Hockett
|
3.743
|
|
T24
|
Hope
|
Brian Morehouse
|
3.738
|
|
T24
|
Trine
|
Andrew Rang
|
3.738
|
Special Mention: Mount Union, Suzy Venet Pietz, 3.737; Dickinson, Aby Diop, 3.737; Wis.-Oshkosh, Brad Fischer, 3.736; Chicago, Michelle Gardner-Bilek, 3.729; Bowdoin, Megan Phelps, 3.727; Johns Hopkins, Rodney Rogan, 3.721; Wash. & Lee, Brittney Kemp, 3.721; Wartburg, Bob Amsberry, 3.721; Williams, Pat Manning, 3.718; Trinity, Maria Williamson, 3.709; WashU, Lisa Stone, 3.708; Redlands, Rich Murphy, 3.705; Huelsman, Mark Huelsman, 3.704; Cedar Crest, Jason Rhine, 3.700; Widener, Alisa Kintner, 3.695; Concordia-M'head, Kim Wagers, 3.691; Manhattanville, Kate Vlahakis, 3.689; Benedictine, Oliver Wiseman, 3.688; Buena Vista, Kylee Boettcher, 3.688; Houghton, Phil Pellegrino, 3.683; CWRU, Jennifer Reimer, 3.677; Husson, Kissy Walker, 3.674; NYU, Meg Barber, 3.673; Elizabethtown, Veronica Nolt, 3.672; Otterbein, Diana Noles, 3.671; SUNY Plattsburgh, Ben Sarraf, 3.669; Susquehanna, Gabrielle Holko, 3.662; Carnegie Mellon, Kathy McConnell-Miller, 3.662; Marywood, Tara Macciocco, 3.660; UW-Stout, Samantha Clayton, 3.647; Wis.-River Falls, Shelby Lyman, 3.646; Ohio Wesleyan, Cody Hartzler, 3.644; Oberlin, Stephany Dunmyer, 3.642; Occidental, Anahit Aladzhanyan, 3.641; Waynesburg, Sam Jones, 3.638; La Verne, Anthony Mason, 3.637; John Carroll, Elizabeth Andrews, 3.634; St. Norbert, Amanda Perry, 3.632; Lawrence, Riley Woldt, 3.627; Elmira, Thad Phillips, 3.625; William Paterson, Erin Monahan, 3.622; Illinois Wesleyan, Mia Smith, 3.620; Luther, Amanda Bailey, 3.618; Simpson, Brian Niemuth, 3.611; Manchester, Josh Dzurick, 3.608; Chatham, David Saur, 3.605; Bryn Mawr, Carla Coleman, 3.601; Utica, Allison Coleman, 3.599; Macalester, AD Donovan, 3.597; Claremont-M-S, Chanel Murchison, 3.596; Penn College, Britni Mohney, 3.589; Denison, Maureen Hirt, 3.589; Wis.-Platteville, Kelly McNiff, 3.589; SUNY Brockport, Corinne Jones, 3.585; Bard, Alaina Walker, 3.583; Moravian, Mary Beth Spirk, 3.580; Calvin, Mark Christner, 3.578; Suffolk, Ed Leyden, 3.577; Stevens, Megan Haughey, 3.575; Penn St. Harrisburg, Ross Patrick, 3.573; RIT, Melissa Kuberka, 3.571; Emory, Misha Jackson, 3.571; Randolph-Macon, Lindsey Burke, 3.570; Gallaudet, Stephanie Stevens, 3.567; Chris. Newport, Bill Broderick, 3.563; Kenyon, Mary Corbett, 3.563; UMN-Morris, Tim Grove, 3.556; Yeshiva, Orri Cohen, 3.542; Alfred, Michael Moskowitz, 3.541; Caltech, Madison Quan, 3.54; Hunter, John Garrett, 3.534; Bethany Lutheran, Emma Purfeerst, 3.532; Salisbury, Aprile Guy, 3.531; DePauw, Kristin Huffman, 3.531; Marietta, Jenna Andersen, 3.531; Lakeland, Ashley Lona, 3.530; Arcadia, Diane Decker, 3.529; Edgewood, Kole Vivian, 3.528; Buffalo St., Scott Foster, 3.520; Wooster, Olivia Besancon, 3.513; Catholic, Matt Donohue, 3.509; Chapman, Carol Jue, 3.502; Marian (WI), Josh Ward, 3.502; Ursinus, Bobbi Morgan, 3.498; Regis, Samantha Crough, 3.494; Mary Washington, Deena Applebury, 3.489; Rochester, James Scheible, 3.482; Roger Williams, Kelly Thompson, 3.481; Anderson (IN), Jon Gin, 3.479; Colby-Sawyer, Tim Viola, 3.471; Westminster, Rosanne Scott, 3.465; McDaniel, Christin Gowan, 3.458; Rhode Island Col., Jenna Cosgrove, 3.451; Lehman, Eric Harrison, 3.451; Principia, Ramiro Dominguez, 3.444; Franklin & Marshall, Brianna Spector, 3.429; Illinois Tech, Carissa Sain, 3.426; Gettysburg, Nate Davis, 3.425; Eastern Conn. St., Mandy King, 3.423; Kalamazoo, Ryan Clark, 3.422; Ozarks, Seth McDowell, 3.421; Babson, Kate Barnosky, 3.415; Immaculata, Brittany Whalen, 3.411; Webster, Jordan Olufson, 3.405; St. Mary's (MD), LaTanya Collins, 3.401; Coe, Kayla Waskow, 3.400; Mt. St. Mary (NY), Marion Dietz, 3.393; Capital, Camille McPherson, 3.390; Central (IA), Justin Weiland, 3.366; DeSales, Fred Richter, 3.364; Willamette, Peg Swadener, 3.320; Stevenson, Jackie Boswell, 3.318; Mount Aloysius, Brian Giesler, 3.281; Hendrix, Wes Sullivan, 3.259; Gordon, Carter Shaw, 3.218; Keuka, Paige Emborsky, 3.211; Millsaps, Jeffery Wilbur, 3.189; UMPI, Mark Knight, 3.188.
