ATLANTA (July 20, 2022) – The University of North Dakota women's basketball program was recognized alongside 24 other Division I universities in the 2021-22 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll announced today by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
Head coach
Mallory Bernhard and her program have earned this honor for a second consecutive time under her direction. The first under her tenure was during her interim season in 2020-21 where the team sat fifth. This year, the team sits at 23 in the NCAA Division I.
The program has earned this honor a total of nine times with eight of those being in the Division I era and one in the Division II era. The highest ranking was in the 2008-09 season where the program, under direction of head coach
Gene Roebuck, earned second on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Honor Roll for the first time as a Division I program.
Bernhard, at the time Mallory Younblut, was a redshirt junior on the 2008-09 squad. During her time as a student-athlete, she helped her team earn a spot on the Top 25 list once in their Division II era (2007-08) and three times in the Division I era (2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11).
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 2021-22 season is the 27th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor rolls.
This year's release also marks the first year in which all teams which qualified for the top 25 rankings with the minimum 3.0 GPA also are recognized for their academic accomplishment.
"The WBCA family of coaches is committed to the student-athlete experience and celebrates these teams that have demonstrated excellence in the classroom," said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. "This year's WBCA Academic Top 25 is a powerful list of teams and their head coaches who have winning cultures that prepare their student-athletes for success in life.
"We are also pleased this year to recognize all teams that achieved the minimum 3.0 combined GPA required for nomination. That alone is no small feat considering the rigors of playing college athletics."
Here are the 2021-22 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls by division. The head coach listed for each institution was its head coach during the 2021-22 season.
North Dakota in the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls
NCAA Division I
| Rank |
Institution |
Head Coach |
GPA |
| 1 |
South Dakota State University |
Aaron Johnston |
3.837 |
| 2 |
Robert Morris University |
Charlie Buscaglia |
3.762 |
| 3 |
University of Maine |
Amy Vachon |
3.730 |
| 4 |
Lipscomb University |
Lauren Sumski |
3.725 |
| T5 |
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay |
Kevin Borseth |
3.723 |
| T5 |
Western Illinois University |
JD Gravina |
3.723 |
| 7 |
Boise State University |
Gordy Presnell |
3.721 |
| 8 |
Belmont University |
Bart Brooks |
3.712 |
| 9 |
Northern Illinois University |
Lisa Carlsen |
3.681 |
| 10 |
University of Northern Colorado |
Kristen Mattio |
3.663 |
| 11 |
Eastern Illinois University |
Matt Bollant |
3.661 |
| 12 |
Lehigh University |
Susan Troyan |
3.654 |
| 13 |
University of Wyoming |
Gerald Mattinson |
3.628 |
| 14 |
Arizona State University |
Charli Turner Thorne |
3.625 |
| 15 |
University of Portland |
Michael Meek |
3.624 |
| 16 |
Youngstown State University |
John Barnes |
3.622 |
| 17 |
Iona College |
Billi Chambers |
3.621 |
| 18 |
Virginia Tech |
Kenny Brooks |
3.611 |
| 19 |
Western Michigan University |
Shane Clipfell |
3.605 |
| 20 |
University of South Dakota |
Dawn Plitzuweit |
3.588 |
| 21 |
Tennessee Tech University |
Kim Rosamond |
3.571 |
| 22 |
University at Albany |
Colleen Mullen |
3.570 |
| 23 |
University of North Dakota |
Mallory Bernhard |
3.560 |
| 24 |
Bowling Green State University |
Robyn Fralick |
3.554 |
| 25 |
California State University, Northridge |
Carlene Mitchell |
3.548 |
