This just in! The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) has named Grinnell College to the Academic Top 25 Honor Roll for the 2011-2012 season. The Pioneers ranked 18th in the country among Division III NCAA schools with a GPA of 3.473.

The Pioneers have been recognized on the individual, team, conference, and NOW the national level as tremendous scholar-athletes. Way to go Pioneers!

Pioneer Basketball JULY/AUGUST 2012 Grinnell College Women’s Basketball Newsletter

Program Update: Academics!

National Spotlight: Top 25 in Division III!

Earlier this summer, the Midwest Conference announced the 2011-2012 Academic All Conference honorees. This past year was the first time in MWC history that Academic All-Conference awards were presented at the end of the year and included all students who earned a 3.33 GPA for both semesters. Grinnell College had the most award winners with 276 overall, and our team had 10 student-athletes selected as Academic All-Conference (the most for any women’s basketball team!).

(From left to right: Tolu Alabi, Michelle Briggs, Elizabeth Burnett, Kelly Clarke, Karen Gogins, Abby Jaeger, Ashley Jeannin, Alex Plemmons, Jordan Schellinger, Megan Huey)

Our core value of balancing academics and athletics is perfectly demonstrated by these exceptional scholar-athletes! Their excellence is due to their tremendous ability to manage time, stress, and the rigors of Grinnell, while staying true to their teammates and our training plan. Our students are consistently pulling out their books on bus rides, in hotel rooms, and in the gym bleachers after our games. Basketball is central to their time at Grinnell, but academics are always their number one priority!

Attention: Potential Pioneers! Mark Your Calendars

The 2012 Discover Grinnell Days have been set! Friday, September 21 and Friday, October 5.

These are two campus visit opportunities provided by our admission office. You’ll have the chance to meet professors, attend class, stay in the dorms, and spend time with the team. Registration for

Discover Grinnell will begin later this month! Let me know if you are interested in attending! We’d love to host you on campus!

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JULY/AUGUST 2012 Grinnell College Women’s Basketball Newsletter

Senior Interview: Elizabeth Burnett

I caught up with senior tri-captain Liz Burnett during her lunch break in Des Moines, IA. Liz is working for Senator Tom Harkin during the summer while also playing a lot of golf and basketball. Liz is originally from Iowa and is studying Economics at Grinnell.

You spent the last semester abroad in Spain. What made you decide to go abroad, and what did you gain from the experience?

I knew I wanted to go abroad when I applied to Grinnell, and this opportunity was one of the reasons why I chose to go to Grinnell. About fifty percent of each class goes abroad and the college has many options and study locations.

While abroad, I gained a lot of insight on myself, and I found strengths and weaknesses that I didn’t know I had before. I was able to develop abroad and

become a more balanced person.

As a two-sport athlete, how do you manage your time, excel academically, and still be a committed member of both teams?

It’s not easy, but experience is the key. Going into senior year, I’ve gone through three years of it, and I now know how much time I need to devote to being successful.

As a senior captain of the basketball team, what are your goals this season?

Personally, I want to lead through my playing as well as being an encouraging leader. I’ll lead by example, and I want to get to know each player’s individual playing style so I can work with them the best that I can. I want to know my team.

My immediate goal for the team is to have each player understand individual roles and come together as a team. Eventually, we need to improve our record from last year and make it to the tournament.

How do you think your time as a Pioneer is going to prepare you for your “next step” after Grinnell?

Being a college basketball player teaches you discipline, sacrifice, and leadership. Basketball forces you to face adversities, but being a Pioneer provides you with a family to help overcome those challenges. I know I will forever have my teammates in my life even after I graduate, and I am incredibly thankful for the relationships I have developed from being a Pioneer.

Tell us one thing about Grinnell that most people don’t know.

The Multicultural Suites (upstairs in the Joe Rosenfield Center) is a great place to take a nap.

Favorite Food in the Grill?

You can’t beat the veggie cheese bowl with chocolate chip cookies outtake day.

If you were going to spend a night “on the town”, what might that include doing in Grinnell?

Go chill with the locals at Dairy Barn. I highly recommend the cookie dough concrete mixer. Extra cookie dough!