WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SHINES IN CLASSROOM

TEAM POSTS 3.4 SUMMER GPA
@MTAthletics

MURFREESBORO - The Middle Tennessee women's basketball team enjoyed an outstanding summer and competed at a very high level – in the classroom.

In fact, the Blue Raiders continue to be as outstanding in the classroom as they have been on the court under veteran Head Coach Rick Insell.

Middle Tennessee's team grade point average (GPA) for the summer was a combined 3.4, while the five freshmen newcomers posted a sparkling 3.8 GPA.

"I am very proud of our young ladies and the manner in which they took care of business in the classroom during summer classes," Insell said. "This is not only a complement to our student-athletes, but also to the Academic Enhancement Staff. We place strong expectations on our student-athletes in all areas, not just on the basketball court, so we are as proud of these accomplishments as we are athletic achievements."

The women's basketball team has been consistently solid in the classroom since Insell's arrival in 2005-06. The Blue Raiders earned a Public Recognition Award from the NCAA last April for their academic prowess. Public Recognition Awards are based on the most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rates (APR), and are presented to teams scoring in the Top 10 percent of their sport.

The year prior to Insell's hiring, Middle Tennessee women's basketball team scored an 868 in APR, which is well below the NCAA requirement of 930.

Insell, who is entering his 11^th season as the Blue Raiders' Head Coach, said he would place an emphasis on academics. His players posted a perfect 1,000 APR score in 2013-14 – the most recent scoring period. Since 2006-07, Middle Tennessee's women have demonstrated an improvement in the team APR score in every season but one and they posted a 968 score that season.

Middle Tennessee has an APR score of 968 or better six straight years.