It was announced earlier this month that the University of Redlands women’s basketball team ranked No. 18 on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for NCAA Division III.

The Bulldogs boasted a team GPA of 3.418, which included the fall and spring semester grades of the 14 women on the roster.

“I am very proud of our team for receiving this award,” commented Head Coach Rich Murphy. “Not only do the student-athletes work hard on the court, but they work hard in the classroom. They are great examples to the University and the Redlands community as a whole.”

The Maroon and Gray accumulated a 19-7 record in 2008-09, earning the most wins in program history. The team finished second in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) with an 11-3 mark and advanced to the SCIAC Postseason Tournament for the second year in a row.

As one of two schools from the West Region, Redlands sat five spots above Chapman University (No. 23, 3.379 GPA) on the WBCA Academic Top 25.

For a complete list of the honorees, including those from NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NAIA and Junior/Community Colleges, please log onto the WBCA web site at http://www.wbca.org/releases/2009AcademicTop25Release.htm.