May 13, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Nine of 14 members of the UCF women's basketball team were named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for the spring semester to highlight a successful academic year by the Knights and complement a remarkable season of firsts on the court.
Those nine members were named to the honor roll after achieving 3.0 grade point averages or better. More impressively, the squad consisted of nine true freshmen, who excelled academically and helped improve the team's win total from its previous two seasons, despite adjusting to college life for the first time under the direction of head coach Joi Williams.
"We are proud of our players for their hard work on and off the floor," Williams said. "We challenge them daily to step up on the court and to set those same standards for improvement and excellence in the classroom. We want them to set high goals for themselves in all aspects of their lives and this is a great example of them buying into the philosophy of working hard to prepare and compete on and off the court."
The Knights compiled a cumulative team GPA of 3.01 for the spring semester, the first three months of which took place during the heart of the team's Conference USA schedule . In addition, Jackie Akers (Legal Studies) and Amber Long (Criminal Justice) each earned their bachelor's degrees during the 2007-08 school year. UCF's women's basketball student-athletes thrived under the guidance of Sarah Hill, Assistant Director of Academic Services for Student Athletes (ASSA).
"Everyone on the team worked really hard in the classroom this term," Hill said. "It was amazing to see much the girls have learned on their own just by having a couple of semesters of experience under their belts. Working with coaches who are interested in the team's success in the classroom as much as their success on the court is great! I am looking forward to seeing how the team continues to progress academically."
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Women's Basketball - Athletic Director's Honor Roll (2008 spring semester)
- Jackie Akers
- Emma Cannon
- Marcquitta Head
- Amber Kirkpatrick
- Tia Lewis
- Jaleesa Morris
- Leah Paige
- Jasmine Stovall
- Marshay White