Women's basketball team ranks 5th nationally in GPA

The 2012-13 Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team made improvements on the court during coach Ty Margenthaler's second season.

But where the Redhawks really excelled was in the classroom.

It was announced Thursday the Redhawks earned a spot on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Academic Top-25 list at No. 5.

Southeast posted a 3.546 team grade-point average, tied with North Dakota for the fifth-best mark in NCAA Division I.

"This is a great honor for our program. Our players earned this award with their dedication to being true student-athletes," Margenthaler said in a release. "I want to personally thank Sharon Burgard and all the hard working staff at the Success Center for helping us to achieve this.

"The turnaround the players and staff have made in two short years here is phenomenal and will only continue to grow from here."

Allyson Bradshaw (3.552), Olivia Hackmann (3.778), Dru Haertling (3.679), Brittany Harriel (3.395), Jordan Hunter (3.900), Connor King (3.893), Bailie Roberts (3.222), Courtney Shiffer (3.750), Brooke Taylor (4.000) and Kara Wright (3.750) all finished the 2012-13 academic year with a GPA above 3.0.

Utah Valley led all of Division I with a 3.639 grade-point average. DePaul and St. Francis of New York tied for second at 3.625, with Florida Gulf Coast fourth at 3.621.

Austin Peay joined Southeast as the only Ohio Valley Conference programs on the list. The Governors finished 18th with a 3.437 GPA.

Football

* Single-game tickets for Southeast's first-ever meeting with Ole Miss are on sale now. The kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Sept. 7 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss.

Tickets, located in Section S, are $55 each. Tickets can be purchased through the Southeast Athletics Ticket Office at 1221 Broadway. The phone number is 651-2113.

Southeast's department of athletics is offering a fan bus that requires a minimum of 30 individuals. The price is $100 per person for Redhawks Club members and $110 for the general public. That price includes transportation, ticket to the game and refreshments on the bus.

In addition, the Southeast Alumni Association and Redhawks Club are planning to host a tailgate on The Grove. More details about that event will be released at a later time.

* Southeast is looking for student volunteers, preferably with football experience, to help with video and film work during the 2013 season.

Student volunteers will be provided housing and meals throughout fall camp, which runs from Aug. 5 through 22. Game and practice apparel also will be issued. Student volunteers are required to work all home and away games in addition to their assigned duties during camp.

For more information, contact assistant coach Chris Norris at 270-8511. Norris can also be reached at cnorris@semo.edu.

-- From staff reports