VC WBB Earns Academic Recognition from WBCA

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The Ventura College women's basketball team continues to be the most-recognized academic achieving community college women's basketball program in the country. Earlier this month, the 2020-21 Pirates earned "Special Mention" from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association for academic excellence during the difficult COVID-affected year. VC posted an overall grade point average of 3.405 to garner the recognition on the association's national Academic Honor Roll.

Ventura was not formally eligible for ranking because they did not compete athletically during the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but are recognized as a special mention. The Pirates' GPA would have placed them fifth in the country on the Academic Honor Roll.

Ventura is the only two-year college in the country to be recognized for academic honors by the WBCA in 17 of the past 18 years. Minnesota West Community and Technical College and Lincoln College (IL) have both achieved the award 11 times. Northwest College (WY) and Seward County (KS) have each made the list nine times over that span.  Solano Community College (four times) and Cypress College (three times) are the only other California community colleges to be recognized by the WBCA for academic excellence in the past 18 years. In all levels, four-year NAIA school Northwestern College (IA) is the only team that has been recognized more often than VC since 2004.

VC was led in the classroom by freshman Sam Martinez (Buena HS) who posted a perfect 4.0 GPA for the entire academic year. Sophomore Yasmine Ahllamara (Valencia HS) and freshman Abygail Hall (St. Bonaventure HS) also achieved the standard GPA with the required units to earn Academic All-State recognition while sophomore Kimora Pooler (Pacifica HS) and freshman Madison Carabello (Simi Valley HS) each earned above a 3.5 GPA but did not complete the required units for Academic All-State honors. (Due to COVID-19 rules and the team not competing in 2020-21, student athletes did not have minimum load requirements for class.) Overall, 11 of VC's 13 players posted a 3.0 or better GPA for the academic year.

"Congratulations to each of the teams recognized in the 2020-21 WBCA Academic Top 25," said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. "Their head coaches are to be commended for fostering an environment of excellence for their student-athletes both on the court and, more importantly, in the classroom; particularly with the additional stress this season caused by the uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic."

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 2020-21 season is the 26th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor rolls.

A team's GPA is calculated by dividing the total number of quality points (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0) earned by the total number of academic hours attempted by all team members in the academic terms (semesters or quarters) that the season spans. Weighted grades are converted to a 4.0 scale. The GPAs are rounded to the nearest thousandth of a point. Teams are nominated for the honor by the WBCA member head coach. A team must have a 3.000 or better GPA to be nominated.

About the Women's Basketball Coaches Association

Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit www.WBCA.org for more details about the association.