ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine women's basketball team is not only scoring on the court, but also in the classroom.
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced the Black Bears ranked third in the Top 25 Team Honor Roll, achieving a 3.856 cumulative GPA.
This marks the seventh time in the past 10 seasons the team has earned a spot on the honor roll and the fourth year they finished among the top five.
Meanwhile, on the court, the Black Bears are the reigning America East conference champions, their 10th league title, which is the most in league history.
Sophomore point guard Emmie Streams is grateful she gets to experience all of the accomplishments right in her backyard.
"Growing up here, it's definitely been a dream come true," Streams said. "Coming and watching these and to think, 'Oh wow, that could be me,' and then actually coming here and accomplishing it—it's so surreal," Streams said.
Their athletic and academic successes didn’t come without the work behind the scenes, though.
"After, we have practice in the mornings for a semester, so I’ll have my classes later, and then I'll have time to study later that night before I wake up, and do it all over again," Streams said.
Head Coach Amy Vachon, who has led the team for seven seasons and has three conference championships under her belt, could not be prouder of what the team has accomplished.
"If you look at the top 25 teams who are in the top 25, I'm not sure how many won basketball championships and excelled in the classroom like we did," Vachon said.
The former Black Bear led the team to victories athletically and academically, setting high standards.
"We always tell our players the expectation is you always do the best you can, and if that's an 'A,' that's great. If it's not an 'A,' as long as you did the best you can, that's what's important," Vachon said.
Ann Maxim, the director of academic support, has seen the success the athletes are having under her leadership.
"I think the habits that they developed here at the university, especially through the women's basketball program, is what fostered all," Maxim said.
And student-athletes like Streams are hoping success in the classroom can keep leading to success on the court this upcoming season.
"This next year we hope to get a higher GPA, hold ourselves to a higher standard, because it translated really well on and off the court," Streams said.
The accomplishments of the women's basketball team go beyond the athletes. Next month, Coach Vachon will be recognized for her leadership on and off the court at the Pearls of Wisdom Luncheon.