Auburn, ME – The Central Maine Community College Women's Basketball team was recognized by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association on Tuesday, as part of their 2024-25 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls. The Mustangs had the second-highest cumulative team grade-point average among two-year colleges with a 3.633 mark. This represents the highest finish for CMCC on the WBCA's list having previously been in the top 15.
"Being recognized by the WBCA Honor Roll is a tremendous reflection of our players' commitment to being more than just athletes," head coach Andrew Morong said. "They work relentlessly in the classroom, just as they do on the court, and take pride in representing our program with excellence in every area of their lives. This recognition also speaks volumes about the support systems in place at CMCC – our faculty, staff, and resources are all deeply invested in helping our students grow academically, athletically, and personally."
The Mustangs' team GPA was the best mark in program history and saw them finish second in the country among two-year institutions behind only Colby Community College in Kansas. It was just one of many program records the women's basketball team set in the 2024-25 season that ended with a 29-2 overall record.
They had a record number of USCAA Academic All-Americans with six (Zoe Bedford, Ella Lavigne, Marney Rees, Riley Hebler, Chantel Ouellette, and Hunter Hartsgrove) and added to their current streak of now eight straight YSCC Tournament titles and appearances at the USCAA National Championships. The squad also averaged the most points per game over the course of a season (87.5) and assists per game (23.1).
"Coach always says we're students first and athletics have to come second," said team captain Zoe Bedford. "We have team study halls on Fridays to make sure everyone is keeping up on their work. Coach expects us to sit in the front row of our classes and be on a first-name basis with our professors and make sure that we have our work submitted before travelling for away games. That's probably helped with some of our success on the court since we're not worried about our schoolwork when it's time to focus on upcoming games."
The Mustangs have six returning players from last year's team heading into the 2025-26 campaign. CMCC is set to open its season on October 25th against Colby-Sawyer College.
