CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. - The Saint Mary's golf team was recognized for having one of the top cumulative grade point averages among all NCAA Division III programs in the 2021-22 academic year by the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA).

 

The Belles registered a 3.720 grade point average in the 2021-22 academic year, which placed the squad ninth overall in Division III women's golf. Saint Mary's was one of 12 programs to earn the All-Scholar Team GPA Top 25 Award and compete in the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championships. Otterbein, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Carnegie Mellon, Williams, Washington and Lee, Claremont Mudd Scripps, George Fox, St. Catherine, Centre, Methodist, and Washington University in St. Louis all joined the Belles as both WGCA All-Scholar Team Top 25 GPA honorees and competitors at the NCAA Championships this past May.

 

Additionally, the 3.720 cumulative grade point average is the highest GPA for the Belles in golf program history.

 

"To be one of a small handful of Division III programs on both the WGCA All-Scholar Team GPA Top 25 list and compete at Nationals this year is a testament to the work ethic of our entire team," said head coach Jordan Koehler. "It is our program's goal to achieve at the highest levels academically and athletically. Earning this elite academic honor while competing at a high level is a reflection of that goal. To set the program's all-time highest GPA just further shows what is possible as a Division III student-athlete at Saint Mary's, and I continue to be incredibly proud of the work this team has put in throughout the year."

 

It marks the second time the program has had a Top 25 cumulative grade point average among Division III programs. The 2017-18 squad boasted a 3.609 for the tenth-best GPA at the Division III level that year. The WGCA began recognizing the top 15 GPAs at each level independently starting in 2017-18. Prior to that time, all programs for all divisions vied for recognition in a single All-Scholar Team listing.