Date Posted: 10/2/2007

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced today the Top Ten All-Academic Teams, based on cumulative grade-point averages submitted by NFCA member head coaches for the 2006-2007 academic year.

The University of Rio Grande led all four-year colleges for the second-straight year as the NAIA program claimed a 3.648 cumulative grade-point average.

St. Bonaventure and Grand Canyon University both led Divisions I and II, respectively, for the second consecutive season. St. Bonaventure topped the Division I rankings as it boosted its team GPA to a 3.622. Grand Canyon also improved its team average over last year’s mark, coming in with a 3.633 tally.

The Atlantic Sun Conference was well represented on the Division I list as seven of the league's member schools qualified for the All-Academic Team list. Gardner-Webb led the way, placing fourth in Division I with a cumulative GPA of 3.493. UNF also placed in the top 15. The Ospreys combined for a 3.38 GPA. Also among the 118 teams recognized were Campbell (22nd), Jacksonville (45th), Kennesaw State (63rd), Stetson (76th) and USC Upstate (83rd).

Western Texas College topped the junior college standings with a 3.582 average. Splendora West High School in Texas knocked off back-to-back winner Belleville West High School (Ill.) in the high school weighted division after finishing the year with a 4.407 mark.

Hopkins High School (Minn.) claimed the top GPA among non-weighted high schools for the second straight season, boosting its average to a remarkable 3.934 mark.

The complete listing of submitted teams, sorted by division, can be found at www.nfca.org/pagebank/?id=1128.

The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) is the professional growth organization for fastpitch softball coaches from all competitive levels of play. Originally founded in 1983 as the National Softball Coaches Association (NSCA), the association became the NFCA in 1996 and now consists of nearly 4,500 members. For more information, contact the NFCA at 662/320-2155 or via the World Wide Web at www.nfca.org.

Related Links:
 • 2006-07 NFCA All-Academic Teams