Rio Hondo Women’s Basketball Earns National Academic Team Award

Rio Hondo College student-athletes not only excel on the court and field, but in the classroom.

During the 2023-24 season under head coach Rene Herrera, the Roadrunners' women's basketball team was one of the top programs academically in the nation. On Wednesday, Rio Hondo was ranked No. 5 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Honor Roll with a combined 3.489 grade point average.

"At Rio Hondo College, our women's basketball team understand the importance of having balance both on and off the court," said Herrera. "Our student-athletes embody the spirit of perseverance and dedication, proving that academic success and athletic achievement go hand in hand."

The WBCA Academic Top 25 recognizes NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA and two-year college women's basketball teams across the nation that carry the highest combined GPAs inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season. The 2023-24 season is the 29th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor rolls.

Rio Hondo was one of just five programs at the California community college level to earn the honor.

The WBCA is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. Founded in 1981, the WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport.