ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Team
Selected by CoSIDA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 2, 2005
Contact: Dick Lipe, Bentley College, 781-891-2334 or rlipe@bentley.edu
Seton Hall's Megan Meyer and Washington University's Liz Swary Head
2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Softball Teams
WALTHAM, Mass. – Senior pitcher Megan Meyer of Seton Hall University and senior first baseman Liz Swary of Washington University in St. Louis head the 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Softball Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Meyer, a native of Vermillion, Ohio, was voted as the Academic All-America of the Year in the University Division. A two-time first-team Academic All-America selection, Meyer posted a 3.98 cumulative grade point average in biochemistry at Seton Hall.
"It is an honor to receive such a prestigious award and represent Seton Hall University in such a positive manner," said Meyer, a unanimous first-team All-Big East Conference and All-Northeast Region standout who had a 27-7 record and a 0.92 earned run average on the mound. "This award represents the excellent academic and athletic tradition of my institution and I am humbled to be chosen from a group of such outstanding candidates."
Swary, who hails from Cleveland, Ohio, was chosen as the Academic All-America of the Year in the College Division. She is making her third consecutive appearance on the Academic All-America squad as a first-team selection and has a 3.96 cumulative GPA in economics at Washington in St. Louis.
"It is a great way to end my senior year and to be able to acknowledge my accomplishments both on and off the softball field," said Swary, a first-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-American who batted .415 with seven home runs and a school-record 57 RBI. "My academics are just as important to me as softball, so this means a lot to be recognized for putting a lot of effort into both."
Joining Meyer on the University Division Academic All-America first team were pitcher Brooke Mitchell of Louisiana-Lafayette; catcher Christine Fukumoto of Creighton; infielders Charity Butler (Southern Mississippi), Stephanie Hill (Louisiana State), Jessica Rogers (Texas-San Antonio), and Kim Wilmoth (Baylor); outfielders Ashley Kalina (South Dakota State), Nicole Martin (Northwestern State) and Caitlin White (Seton Hall); and designated player Cameron Astiazaran of Illinois-Chicago.
Swary was joined on the College Division Academic All-America first team by pitchers Amy Ernst (Coe) and Emillie Collins (Louisiana College), catcher Crystal Krebs of Colorado-Colorado Springs; infielders Megan Pilarcik (Gettysburg), Heather Bortz (Moravian) and Stephanie Huber (Florida Southern); outfielders Molly Gale (Gettysburg), Jaime Dacey (Shippensburg) and Kate Brandt (Simpson); and designated player Harper Cornell of York (Pa.) College.
Gale, like Swary and Meyer, were also first-team Academic All-America honorees in 2004.
The Academic All-America Teams program honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America), a 2,000 member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 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 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence – is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.85 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 or e-mail rlipe@bentley.edu.
2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Softball Team (University Division)
as selected by CoSIDA
First Team
Pos. Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
P +Megan Meyer Seton Hall Sr. Vermillion, Ohio 3.98 Biochemistry
P *Brooke Mitchell Louisiana-Lafayette Sr. Houston, Texas 3.48 Business Finance
C Christine Fukumoto Creighton Sr. Flagstaff, Ariz. 3.56 Mathematics
IF Charity Butler Southern Mississippi Jr. Pensacola, Fla. 4.00 Business Administration
IF Stephanie Hill Louisiana State Jr. Harahan, La. 3.85 Finance & Political Science
IF Jessica Rogers Texas-San Antonio Jr. Grand Prairie, Texas 3.82 Kinesiology
IF *Kim Wilmoth Baylor Sr. Garland, Texas 3.91 Accounting
OF Ashley Kalina South Dakota State Sr. Elkhorn, Neb. 4.00 Psychology
OF Nicole Martin Northwestern State Sr. Keller, Texas 3.70 Business Administration
OF Caitlin White Seton Hall Jr. Lincoln University, Pa. 3.98 Biology
DP #Cameron Astiazaran Illinois-Chicago Sr. Rolling Hills Estates, Calif. 3.37 Criminal Justice
Second Team
Pos. Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
P Kelly Flinn Troy Sr. Fenton, Mo. 3.84 Journalism
P #Jamie Southern Fresno State Sr. Clovis, Calif. 3.52 Liberal Studies
C Erin Myers Cal Poly Sr. Redding, Calif. 3.78 Journalism
IF Cara Deldeo St. Joseph's Sr. Dagsboro, Del. 3.96 Interdisciplinary Health Services
IF Katie Lewis Georgia Sr. Marietta, Ga. 3.52 Biology
IF Lauren Redfern Jacksonville Sr. Jacksonville, Fla. 3.80 Sociology
IF Lindsay Schutzler Tennessee So.. Monterey, Calif. 3.92 Psychology
IF Lauren Wible Bucknell Jr. Dover, Pa. 3.75 English
OF Natasha Jacob Florida State Jr. Coppell, Texas 3.93 Exercise Science
OF Anna Ollgaard Detroit Mercy Sr. Portage, Mich. 3.95 Math Education
OF Tiffany Stewart South Florida Jr. Odessa, Fla. 3.93 Psychology
DP Laurie Stone St. Bonaventure Gr. Jamesville, N.Y. 3.88/4.00 Management & Marketing
Third Team
Pos. Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
P +Amy Harre Southern Illinois Sr. Nashville, Ill. 3.65 Physiology
P Brittani Houghton Stetson Sr. Fort Myers, Fla. 3.83 Health Science
C *Ashley Smith South Carolina Jr. Portage, Mich. 4.00 Civil Engineering
IF *Kim Dodson St. Bonaventure Sr. Tonawanda, N.Y. 3.78 Management Science
IF Paige Jones Auburn Sr. Alabaster, Ala. 3.22 Secondary Ed. & General Science
IF Kate Stake Illinois State Sr. Buffalo Grove, Ill. 3.70 English
OF Brandi Gordon Pacific Sr. Redmond, Wash. 3.83 Sport Science
OF #Rachael Riopel Gardner-Webb Gr. Rhinelander, Wis. 3.91/3.58 Biology
OF Mary Elizabeth Ryan Holy Cross Sr. Holden, Mass. 3.83 History
DP Heather Gelbard North Carolina State So. Miami, Fla. 3.95 Psychology
+2004 Academic All-America First Team
*2004 Academic All-America Second Team
#2004 Academic All-America Third Team
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® OF THE YEAR: Megan Meyer, Seton Hall
2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Softball Team (College Division)
as selected by CoSIDA
First Team
Pos. Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
P Amy Ernst Coe Sr. Monona, Iowa 3.97 Accounting/Business
P Emillie Collins Louisiana College Sr. Bentley, La. 4.00 Psychology
C Crystal Krebs Colo.-Colorado Springs Sr. Loveland, Colo. 3.54 Geography
IF *Liz Swary Washington, Mo. Sr. Cleveland, Ohio 3.96 Economics
IF Megan Pilarcik Gettysburg Sr. Middletown, Md. 3.95 Mathematics
IF Heather Bortz Moravian Sr. Allentown, Pa. 3.48 Elementary Ed./Psychology
IF ^Stephanie Huber Florida Southern Sr. Vancouver, B.C. 3.74 Sociology/Psychology
OF +Molly Gale Gettysburg Sr. Franklin, Mich. 4.00 History
OF Jaime Dacey Shippensburg Sr. Langhorne, Pa. 3.72 Elementary Education
OF ^Kate Brandt Simpson Sr. Coquiltlam, B.C. 4.00 Biology
DP Harper Cornell York College Jr. Dagsboro, Del. 3.84 Marketing
Second Team
Pos. Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
P Taylor Petersen Aurora Sr. Aurora, Ill. 3.56 Biology
P Rachel Werner Houston Baptist Sr. Bryan, Texas 3.79 Business & Accounting
C +Amy Edge St. Mary's, Minn. Sr. Monfort, Wis. 3.96 Biology/Pre-Physical Therapy
IF Maren Buck Puget Sound Sr. Missoula, Mont. 3.97 Chemistry
IF Christy Mays Lynchburg Sr. Amherst, Va. 3.79 Environmental Science
IF Stephanie Fofi Angelo State Sr. Las Vegas, Nev. 3.87 Biology (Pre-Medicine)
IF Gretchen Ruecker Pacific Lutheran Jr. Hillsboro, Ore. 3.80 Social Work
OF Abigail Cooley Wheaton Sr. Madbury, N.H. 3.98 English/Secondary Education
OF Beth Rohlena Coe Sr. Sioux City, Iowa 3.88 Mathematics
OF Jennifer Flatter Capital Sr. Arcanum, Ohio 4.00 Political Science/Communication
DP Kira Zeiter Adams State So. Tucson, Ariz. 3.96 Business Administration
Third Team
Pos. Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
P Melissa Stevens Emporia State Jr. Lenexa, Kan. 3.58 Marketing
P Erica Hoyt Muskingum Jr. Tipp City, Ohio 3.70 Spanish
C Stephanie Pinto Alabama-Huntsville So. Huntsville, Ala. 3.55 History
IF Anna Corr Shippensburg Sr. Doylestown, Pa. 3.67 Psychology
IF Emily Gastineau Pittsburg State Jr. Clinton, Okla. 3.58 Biology (Pre-Medicine)
IF Sarah Morse Emory So. Topeka, Kan. 3.98 Economics/History
OF Carly Muise Bryant Sr. Hanson, Mass. 3.93 Actuarial Mathematics
OF Kristin Spencer Alabama-Huntsville Jr. Gallatin, Tenn. 3.92 Mechanical Engineering
OF Elizabeth Corr Shippensburg Sr. Doylestown, Pa. 3.63 Mathematics
OF Robin Martz Lewis Jr. Lanark, Ill. 3.88 Accountancy
DP +Shannon Rasmussen Eastern Oregon Jr. Everett, Wash. 3.75 Psychology
*2003 & 2004 Academic All-America First Team
+2004 Academic All-America First Team
^2004 Academic All-America Second Team
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® OF THE YEAR: Liz Swary, Washington Univ. in St. Louis