Ƶ U. Women’s Basketball Team Receives National Recognition
Team Lauded for Academic Success
The Ƶ University 2010-11 women’s basketball team, coached by Ferne Labati, placed 10th in United States in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division II Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. This is the fourth consecutive year that the team was honored by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association for its academic achievements.
The Honor Roll award, given in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and Junior College/Community College categories, honors teams throughout the nation that carry the highest grade point average for the entire season based on the nomination submitted by Women’s Basketball Coaches Association member head coaches. Ƶ University’s team finished the season with an overall grade point average of 3.534 and had the best grade point average for the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC).
“With the increased importance and scrutiny of the academic progress rate in the landscape of intercollegiate athletics, these remarkable teams are setting the bar for academic excellence,” said Beth Bass, Women’s Basketball Coaches Association CEO.
“I think the work ethic of the team is outstanding. The way they perform in the classroom correlates with the effort on the court. I am very proud of them,” said Labati.
Members of the 2010-11 Ƶ University women’s basketball team include: Paige Alviani, of Hopewell, Pa., Clare Berenato, of Pittsburgh, Pa., Jalessa Beverly of Youngstown, Ohio, Jordan Burkes, of Coraopolis, Pa., Jill Emberg, of Cowansville, Pa., Ashley Ivory, of Foreset Park, Ohio, Ryenn Micaletti, of New Castle, Pa., Lindsy Muchnock, of Latrobe, Pa., Anne Marie Olesky, of Greensburg, Pa., Tiara Stossel of Indiana, Pa., Joya Whittington, of Carbondale, Pa., and Katherine Ziemke, of Germantown, Md.
The 2010-11 team was led by Labati, Tony Grenek, assistant coach, and Courtney Callas, assistant coach.
Founded in 1981, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) promotes women’s basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls.