ATLANTA, Ga. – The Manhattanville University women's basketball team earned academic recognition from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) as the Valiants were named an NCAA Division III Academic Special Mention for the team's work in the classroom during the 2025-26 academic year.

It is the Valiants' third-consecutive year being recognized by the WBCA, also being named a special mention in the 2024-25 season after earning the 14^th-highest grade point average across all of Division III back in 2023-24.

The WBCA recognizes the top 25 grade point averages by women's basketball teams in all three NCAA divisions in addition to NAIA and two-year colleges, with all other programs that earned a team GPA of a 3.0 or higher across the academic year being recognized as special mentions. Manhattanville earned a 3.689 cumulative team GPA for the 2025-26 academic year.

The achievement is the latest in a line of academic accomplishments for the women's basketball program this year. The Valiants had 12 student-athletes appointed to the Skyline Conference Winter/Spring Academic Honor Roll last month. Three of those athletes—senior trio Julie DeBrocky (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac), Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) and Esther Ramos (Queens, N.Y./Forest Hills)—appeared on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Team in March, while junior Taylor Malone (Yonkers, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic Prep) joined the three as a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma national collegiate athlete honor society in April.

Nebraska Wesleyan topped NCAA Division III with a 3.897 GPA to top the WBCA Top 25. The Valiants were joined by fellow Skyline institutions Yeshiva and Mount Saint Mary on the special mention list.

Manhattanville went 21-6 in the 2025-26 campaign, culminating with the team's third Skyline Conference Championship finals appearance in the last four years.

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