FHSU Athletics
ATLANTA - The 2024-25 Fort Hays State women's basketball team received special mention for its academic performance with the release of the WBCA NCAA Division II Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll, announced Tuesday by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
The squad completed the academic year with a team GPA of 3.685, finishing just outside the top 25 in the country. Eleven Tigers were listed on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll this year, with four taking home the MIAA Scholar-Athlete Award and two receiving the MIAA Academic Excellence Award.
Katie Wagner DeGarmo was selected as the winner of the MIAA Ken B. Jones Award for a second year in a row, given to the top student-athlete across all conference sports on an annual basis. DeGarmo and Kate Dilsaver both earned the MIAA Academic Excellence Award for carrying a 4.00 GPA, while DeGarmo, Dilsaver, Olivia Hollenbeck and Brooke Loewe all received the MIAA Scholar-Athlete Award for earning All-MIAA honors and holding a GPA of 3.50 or better.
Megan Earney, Sasha Koenig, Avery Lowe, Maddy Powell, Callie Ott, Ellie Stearns and Bailey Wilborn were also listed on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll, while DeGarmo, Dilsaver, Hollenbeck and Loewe were all named to the CSC Academic All-District team. DeGarmo went on to earn second team Academic All-America honors.
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 2024-25 season is the 30th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor rolls.
2024-25 WBCA NCAA Division II Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll
Rank - Institution - Head Coach - GPA
1 - St. Cloud State - Lori Fish - 3.892
2 - Winona State - Ana Wurtz - 3.887
3 - Texas Woman's - Beth Jillson - 3.881
4 - Malone - Selana Ickes - 3.874
5 - Tiffin - Josh Mason - 3.864
6 - Lubbock Christian - Steve Gomez - 3.823
7 - Ferris State - Kurt Westendorp - 3.820
8 - Northwestern Okla. St. - Tasha Diesselhorst - 3.813
9 - Chaminade - Michael Edwards - 3.805
10 - Ashland - Kari Pickens - 3.795
11 - Missouri Western - Ashton Feldhaus - 3.788
12 - UVA Wise - Jamie Cluesman - 3.763
13 - CSU East Bay - Jenny Thigpin - 3.760
14 - Montana State Billings - Kevin Woodin - 3.757
15 - Upper Iowa - Justin Maass - 3.750
16 - Missouri S&T - Kira Carter - 3.736
17 - Point Loma Nazarene - Charity Elliott - 3.728
18 - Dominican (CA) - Tim LaKose - 3.726
19 - West Liberty - Kyle Cooper - 3.715
20 - Southern New Hampshire - Karen Pinkos - 3.713
21 - Maryville - Brita Hand - 3.709
22 - Sioux Falls - Travis Traphagen - 3.703
23 - Goldey-Beacom - Bethann Burke - 3.702
T24 - Truman State - Theo Dean - 3.695
T24 - Northwest Missouri State - Austin Meyer - 3.695
Special Mention: Central Missouri, David Slifer, 3.689; Fairmont State, Stephanie Anderson, 3.687; Fort Hays State, Talia Kahrs, 3.685; McKendree, Kari Kerkhoff, 3.676; Kutztown, Janet Malouf, 3.668; D'Youville, Kelly Broderick, 3.660; Rockhurst, Larry Park, 3.655; Kentucky State, Amani Williams, 3.651; Southwest Minnesota State, Tom Webb, 3.649; Pittsburg State, Amanda Davied, 3.647; Lee, Marty Rowe, 3.642; Minnesota State Moorhead, Karla Nelson, 3.634; Caldwell, Christie Conforti, 3.633; Cal State San Marcos, Jana Pearson, 3.628; Chestnut Hill, Megan Fox, 3.626; Wayne State, Carrie Lohr, 3.604; Michigan Tech, Samantha Clayton, 3.589; Pace, Carrie Seymour, 3.587; Davenport, Shonda Sanders, 3.574; Northern Michigan, Casey Thousand, 3.566; Findlay, Michele Durand, 3.558; Menlo, Shannon Spataro, 3.557; Bentley, C White, 3.550; Cal Poly Pomona, Danelle Bishop, 3.542; UW-Parkside, Jen Conely, 3.541; Florida Tech, John Reynolds, 3.536; Assumption, Kerry Phayre, 3.524; Daemen, Jenepher Banker, 3.498; Carson-Newman, Michael Mincey, 3.493; Seattle Pacific, Karen Byers, 3.465; Newman, Amy Briggs, 3.462; West Chester, Kiera Wooden, 3.438; West Florida, Stephanie Yelton, 3.432; Minnesota State Mankato, Emilee Thiesse, 3.431; Barry, Heather Macy, 3.430; Shorter, Lasheena Brooks, 3.425; Southern Arkansas, Darrick Matthews, 3.417; Bridgeport, Jimmy Howard, 3.407; Wingate, Ann Hancock, 3.377; UNC Pembroke, Dr. Kendra Samuels-Eaton, 3.372; Hillsdale, Brianna Brennan, 3.372; Union, Mark Campbell, 3.338; Cal State Monterey Bay, Sarah Hopkins-Chery, 3.316; Tusculum, Roger Hodge, 3.283; Academy of Art, Jesse Clark, 3.278; Anderson, Jonathon Barbaree, 3.268; Emory & Henry, Jaclyn Dickens, 3.249; Cal State San Bernardino, Casandra Renno, 3.249; Augusta, Celeste Stewart, 3.172