DO YOU EVER HAVE trouble keeping up your grades? The University of Denver women’s basketball team does not. On Sept. 25, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association said the Lady Pioneers were ranked 23rd in the nation in team grade point average last year.

The Pioneers’ GPA was 3.263 for the 2001-02 season, ranking them ahead of both Yale and Miami, Ohio in the top 25 list. Top honors went to the University of Wyoming with a team GPA of 3.486, and the University of Toledo with a team GPA of 3.465.

The women’s team had both academic and athletic success last season, recording a 16-13 overall record and finishing second in the Sun Belt Conference with an 11-4 conference record.

Four pioneers maintained an average of more than 3.7, and a total of eight women b’ballers earned a 3.0 or above. Senior guard Ashley Atkinson had a team high of 3.876 in finance and was was named Verizon Academic All-District for the second consecutive season.

“I am very proud of the scholar-athletes for earning this academic award,” said head coach Pam Tanner “Academic recognition is just as important to our program as our athletic success. We expect academic and athletic achievement to coincide with one another.”

The basketball season kicks off with a 4 p.m. scrimmage on Oct. 26th.