LOUISVILLE, Ky. - - On top of proving the team can get it done on the softball diamond by finishing fourth in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference standings in the spring of 2012, the Wilmington University softball team proved to the country it gets the job done in the classroom as well, finishing second among all NCAA Division II programs with a 3.546 team grade point average.
Led by seven players with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced the 2012 NFCA Top 10 All-Academic Team Rankings from the 2011-12 academic year among all three NCAA Divisions, including the NAIA, Junior College and High School programs.
"I am extremely proud of this team, not only for the dedication and effort they gave on the field, but more importantly, for the countless hours of hard work put forth towards their studies in the classroom", stated former head coach and current Assistant Athletic Director and Compliance Coordinator Erin Harvey. "It is a great honor to be ranked second in the nation and considered one of the NFCA's top All-Academic Teams. I am ecstatic to see our student-athletes rewarded for their efforts and couldn't be more proud to have been their coach."
As a team, Wilmington trailed Grand Canyon University by less than a tenth of GPA as the top program in all of NCAA Division II. Grand Canyon carried a 3.60 grade point average to lead the way. Pace University (3.527), Texas Women's University (3.51) and the University of Southern Indiana (3.51) round out the top five NCAA Division II programs.
Individually, standout pitcher Katie Warrington led the Wildcats with a perfect 4.0 GPA as a junior. The sports management major also earned the CACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award last season, and is still the only Wilmington University student-athlete to earn Capital One Academic All-American honors, doing so in back-to-back years after earning Second Team honors in the spring.
Teammates Jess Hassman and Brooke Berger were nearly concluded the 2011-12 school year with perfect GPA's, as Hassman finished her senior year at 3.963 and Berger her junior campaign at 3.935. Meghan Logullo added to the team's GPA with a 3.756 as a sophomore while Christin Headley tallied a 3.636 grade point average as a junior. Shelby Thompson collected a 3.593 GPA as a junior transfer last season and Kristin Garvin completed her Wilmington career with a 3.585 average in her final year.
Student-athletes across the reach of the NCAA Division II platform that reach a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average for the 2011-12 academic school year were named 2012 NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes.
Already the fourth fastest growing university in the nation according to The Chronicle of Higher Education, Wilmington University saw a 90.7 percent increase from its fall enrollment of 2000 to its fall enrollment in 2010. These findings were the result of the publication's research regarding student demographics and the changing face of higher education over the past decade. The report and analysis place Wilmington University ahead of more traditional public and private institutions and newer online universities.
Overall, Wilmington collected the 16th highest grade point average among all three NCAA divisions with Division I's Robert Morris University taking the highest honor with a 3.6097 team GPA.