Covenant News

Smart Shooters: North Park Hoopsters Make Honor Roll

CHICAGO, IL (August 20, 2005) - The North Park University women's basketball team once again made the 2004-2005 Top 25 Team Honor Roll for Division III schools, it was announced Tuesday by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.

The team placed 23rd with a cumulative grade point average of 3.341 for the year. It is the fourth time in six years that the Vikings placed in the top 25 of the more than 400 teams in the division, said Jack Surridge, athletic director and women's basketball coach.

Surridge praised the team, saying, "It's not an easy thing."

The coach credited strong recruiting and the commitment of team members to help each other excel as the reason for the honor. "It part of our social structure for academic excellence," Surridge said.

"I think it's something the students take pride in," Surridge said. "They encourage each other."

Recruiting students with strong academic aptitude helps the team "because the game is becoming more and more sophisticated."

The women's academic performance represents more than a one point improvement over nine year ago, when the team had a GPA of 2.3.

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