Espn the Magazine Academic All-America® Team S Elected by C O Sida
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ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® TEAM S ELECTED BY C O SIDA FOR RELEASE IMMEDIATELY June 1, 2009 ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® SOFTBALL PLAYERS LEAD TOP-RANKED FLORIDA INTO COLLEGE WORLD SERIES FINALS OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma – When number one-ranked Florida faces the University of Washington in the finals of the 2009 Women’s College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, the Gators will be led by four scholar-athletes who were named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® University Division Softball Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Senior pitcher Stacey Nelson, the Academic All-America® of the Year in the University Division, and senior catcher Kristina Hilberth represented the Gators on the Academic All-America® University Division first team. Sophomore pitcher Stephanie Brombacher and senior first baseman Ali Gardner were named to the third team. They have led Florida to a 63-3 record and a matchup against Washington in the national finals which start on Monday, June 1. A senior Philosophy major with a 3.66 G.P.A., Nelson is a finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award. A first team Academic All-America® pick for the second year in a row, she has a 41-3 record with a 0.48 E.R.A. in 2009. With 33 complete games and 22 shutouts, she has pitched 274 innings and has 347 strikeouts. A native of Los Alamitos, Cal., she has been honored as the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year twice. At the College World Series, Nelson pitched Florida into the championship round by throwing back-to- back shutouts against Arizona and Michigan. In a 3-0 win over Arizona in the first round, Nelson fired a two-hit shutout and struck out 12 batters. She pitched even better in a 1-0 win over Michigan as she pitched a one-hitter and struck out nine. The Wolverines managed only one base runner in the game and it came on an infield single in the fourth inning. Nelson faced only 22 batters in the seven-inning game. A Sport Management major with a 3.83 G.P.A., Hilberth is a three-year starter at catcher. With her selection, Florida is the only school with two players on the Academic All-America® first team. Hilberth is the Gators’ second-leading hitter with a .386 batting average. She has scored 35 runs with 20 RBI’s. An outstanding defensive catcher, she holds the school record with a .996 career fielding percentage. The Dunedin, Fla. native will serve a summer internship at Nike. A Health Studies major with a 3.47 G.P.A., Brombacher is a second team All-SEC pitcher who has posted a 22-0 record this year with a 0.76 E.R.A. She has 190 strikeouts in 156 innings and has pitched 14 shutouts. In her career, she has a perfect pitching record. The Pembroke Pines, Fla. native is now 42-0 with a 1.02 E.R.A. in two seasons. In her career, she has pitched in 63 games with 51 starts. In 296 innings, she has 52 walks and 313 strikeouts. In the College World Series, she earned a win in relief when the Gators came from behind to beat Alabama. She threw two shutout innings against the Crimson Tide. An Advertising major with a 3.34 G.P.A., Gardner came up with the biggest hit of the College World Series on Sunday. With Florida trailing Alabama by 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Gardner blasted a two-out grand slam homer over the left field fence to give the Gators a walk-off win as they advanced to the finals of the College World Series. A second team All-SEC first baseman, Gardner is batting .297 with nine homers and 48 RBI’s. A three-year starter, she is an outstanding defensive player with a .993 career fielding percentage. In three years at Florida, the Waccabuc, N.Y. native has batted .336 with 41 doubles, 20 home runs and 144 RBI’s. - more – - 2 - Four other members of the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® University Division Softball Team played in the College World Series. Senior outfielder Kaitlin Cochran, a first team selection, and senior outfielder Jessica Mapes, a second team pick, represented Arizona State on the Academic All-America® teams. Junior designated player Charlotte Morgan of Alabama was named to the second team while senior infielder Lindsey Ubrun of the University of Missouri earned a spot on the third team. A four-year starter in the outfield for tenth-ranked Arizona State, Cochran has a double major of Secondary Education and Mathematics with a 3.51 G.P.A. A top hitter for the Sun Devils’ national championship team in 2008, she has been named as a first team All-American three times. The Pacific 10 Conference Player of the Year twice, she owns virtually every offensive record at Arizona State. One of the top hitters in the nation, she batted .410 with 69 runs scored, 20 home runs and 59 runs batted in. Cochran led the Sun Devils to a 47-19 record and their fourth consecutive berth in the College World Series. Arizona State went 1-2 in the College World Series, losing to #3 Washington and #4 Michigan. A Family & Human Development major with a 4.11 G.P.A., Mapes was a three-year starter in leftfield for the Sun Devils. Named first team All-Region in 2009, she was ASU’s second-leading hitter with a .403 batting average. She is also one of the team leaders with 52 runs scored and has hit 13 doubles with one triple, one home run and 18 RBI’s. A native of Tempe, Arizona, she is an excellent defensive player with a 1.000 fielding percentage. Named as the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, Morgan led Alabama to a 54-11 record and a berth in the College World Series. A Criminal Justice major with a 3.69 G.P.A., she is a three-time All- SEC selection who batted .406 with 30 runs scored. She also had 11 doubles, 11 home runs and a team- leading 59 RBI’s. A versatile player, she also pitched well for the Crimson Tide, posting an 18-6 record with a 1.80 E.R.A. In the College World Series, she pitched a five-hit shutout in a win over Arizona. A native of Moreno Valley, Cal., Morgan has been named first team All-Region twice. A two-year starter at third base, Ubrun led Missouri to an upset win over second-ranked UCLA in the Super Regional, leading Missouri to the College World Series. A General Studies major with a 3.82 G.P.A., she was named first team All-Big 12 Conference this season after batting .370 with 40 runs scored, 11 doubles, 16 home runs and 56 RBI’s. While finishing second in the Big 12 in homers and RBI’s, she helped Missouri win the Big 12 championship. A native of Riverside, Cal., she led Missouri to a 50-12 record and its fourth trip to the Women’s College World Series. To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports. ESPN The Magazine – winner of the 2006 and 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence – is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized biweekly with a circulation of 1.9 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports. For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Dan O’Connell, Towson University ([email protected]) (410) 704-3102 Academic All-America ® Vice-Chair For Publicity/Communications Geoff Hassard, SUNY at Oneonta ([email protected]) (607) 436-2106 Academic All-America ® Coordinator of Publicity 2009 ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-America® Softball Team (University Division) as selected by CoSIDA FIRST TEAM Pos. Name School Dist. Yr. Hometown GPA Major P Molly Hill (3) Nebraska VII Sr. Wayne, Neb. 3.97 Speech Language Pathology P Stacey Nelson (1) Florida III Sr. Los Alamitos, Cal. 3.66 Philosophy C Kristina Hilberth Florida III Sr. Dunedin, Fla. 3.83 Sport Management INF Alex Colyer Baylor VI Sr. Houston, Tex. 3.90 Pre-Med, Health Sciences INF Whitney Haller (3) # Georgia Tech III Sr. Marietta, Ga. 3.94 Industrial Engineering INF Andrea Lazzari Wagner I Sr. Reno, Nev. 3.83 Sociology, Education INF Kellie Sirus Lipscomb IV Jr. Sarasota, Fla. 3.92 Psychology OF Kaitlin Cochran (2) Arizona State VIII Sr. Yorba Linda, Cal. 3.51 Secondary Education, Math OF Lillian Hammond (1) $ Tennessee IV Sr. Chattanooga, Tenn. 4.00 Sociology, Criminal Justice OF Lisa Kingsmore (1) # Winthrop III Sr. Brampton, Ont., Can.3.98 Chemistry DP Colleen McGlaughlin(1) Iowa VII Sr. Morton, Ill. 4.00 Actuarial Science SECOND TEAM Pos. Name School Dist. Yr. Hometown GPA Major P Tara Oltman Creighton VII Jr.