B-W: Baldwin-Wallace College Women's Basketball Team Receives Academic Honor

From the WBCA For the Fifth Straight Year

BEREA, OHIO -- The Baldwin-Wallace College women's basketball team has been one of the best in NCAA Division III for the past decade. In addition, Cheri Harrer's Yellow Jackets are one of the smartest teams in Division III.

According to the 2004-2005 Women's Basketball Coaches Association Academic Top 25 Honor Roll, Harrer's Yellow Jackets topped all Ohio Athletic Conference schools and all schools in the Great Lakes Region by ranking 13th nationally with a 3.435 cumulative grade point average. OAC rival Wilmington College, a team that B-W also beat in last year's OAC Championship Game, was tied for 20th.

"We have been ranked for the past five years straight," said a proud Harrer. "We were 10th in 2000-01 with a 3.467 grade point aveage, eighth in 2001-02 with a 3.493, 10th again in 2002-03 with 3.419, 19th in 2003-04 with a 3.411 and back up to 13th in 2004-05 with a 3.435 GPA. That is pretty good.

"We place a great emphasis on the academic performance of our players," said Harrer. "We have been fortunate over the years to get outstanding students into our program. B-W is a challenging academic community.

"Once the student-athlete is at B-W, we make sure that all of our players understand the importance of doing well academically through our study table and grade check programs," said Harrer. "It’s wonderful for our kids to receive the recognition they deserve for their hard work in the classroom. Each student-athlete in our program takes her class work very seriously and understand that their education is their first priority."

In 2004-2005, the Yellow Jacket women finished 23-6 overall, tied for the OAC regular season title, won the OAC Tournament title game at Wilmington (81-59) and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

The Yellow Jackets open the 2005-2006 season on Friday and Saturday, November 18-19 at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Tournament. B-W will play Bethany (W.Va.) College in the first round at 3:00 p.m.

FOR MORE BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at (440) 826-2327, by FAX machine at (440) 826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. To contact Cheri Harrer, please call her at (440) 826-3299 or e-mail her at charrer@bw.edu.