Academic champs

RITZVILLE - The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague girls basketball team may have been eliminated from the Northeast 2B district tournament last week, but they still have a state-wide award to celebrate.

The Broncos won the WIAA 2B Academic State Championship for girls basketball by having the best GPA at their classification. But their success doesn't end there. Their combined GPA of 3.98 was higher than all of the other winter-sport state champions of every classification, of any gender and of every sport and activity.

The WIAA recognizes winners in boys basketball, girls basketball, band, bowling, cheer, choir, dance and drill, drama, forensics, gymnastics, orchestra, boys swimming, boys wrestling and girls wrestling. In most categories, awards were given for 1B, 2B, 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A.

All in all, 69 teams won an academic state championship and the LRS girls basketball team had the highest GPA of them all.

"This recognition is a testament to the kind of focus and dedication we want from all of our athletes," Lind-Ritzville High School Principal Kevin Terris said. "I am so proud that our girls once again showed how performing well in the classroom is just as important as performing well on the court."

LRS Athletic Director Greg Whitmore shared this sentiment.

"This recognition is a testament to the kind of focus and dedication we want from all of our athletes," Whitmore said. "I am so proud that our girls once again showed how performing well in the classroom is just as important as performing well on the court."

Head coach Steve Wellsandt said he doesn't even have to preach grades because the players hold themselves to a high academic standard.

"That's a great accomplishment," Wellsandt said. "We don't talk about [grades] a lot because we don't need to. We don't have eligibility problems with them. We talk about it to the whole program, but with the varsity [basketball] girls, we don't talk about it a lot."

This is the second LRS girls team to win an academic state championship this year. The volleyball team won the award in the fall with a 3.92 GPA.