2014-15 Capital One Academic All-America® Softball Teams release dates: 
College Division Teams: release/teams
NCAA Division III Teams: below
NCAA Division II Teams: Thr., May 28
NCAA Division I Teams: Fri., May 29
• Capital One Academic All-America® website
• Capital One Academic All-America® Softball Team - Division III
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AUSTIN, TEXAS – Senior infielder
Sam Curran of Wentworth Institute of Technology headlines the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America® Division III Softball Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
A biomedical engineering major with a 3.99 grade-point average, Curran was selected as the winner of the Capital One Division III Academic All-America® of the Year award for softball.
The Capital One Division III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structure, to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2013-14 Division III Academic All-Amer
ica® teams program.
A senior from Quincy, Massachusetts,
Curran (right) earned Academic All-America® honors for the third time in her career, after earning
second-team honors for softball last season and first-team honors for volleyball this past fall.
A first-team All-Commonwealth Coast Conference selection in the utility position this season, the shortstop hit .424 (36-for-85) with a .479 on-base percentage and .635 slugging percentage. She accumulated eight doubles, two triples, two home runs, 14 RBI and 10 stolen bases this season. A starter in all 128 games she played in her career, she hit .358 in her four seasons with a .442 on-base percentage and .545 slugging percentage. She ranks in the top four in Leopards’ history in 11 career categories, including second with 98 runs scored, 32 doubles and eight triples.
Academically, she was named the Commonwealth Coast Conference Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year and is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, a national student-athlete honor society. She earned the school’s Wentworth Bowl, the highest honor a student can receive for participation in activities, and earned the 2015 President’s Award in Biomedical Engineering.
Seventeen of the 34 members of the Capital One Academic All-America® softball teams have a 3.90 or better grade-point average, with three achieving a perfect 4.00 G.P.A. – Thiel College (Pa.) senior catcher
Danielle Massengill (first team), Widener (Pa.) University junior infielder
Alie Alkins (second team) and Hamline (Minn.) University sophomore infielder
Mary-Clare Couillard (third team).
The 11 members of the Capital One Academic All-America® Division III softball first team maintain an average G.P.A of 3.92.
Four individuals are repeat selections on the Capital One Academic All-America® softball teams, including Curran and Massengill, three-time selection
Kristen Beikirch, a senior catcher for The Sage Colleges (N.Y.), and Salisbury (Md.) University senior pitcher
Rachel Johnson.
A second-team selection last season, Massengill earned first-team Capital One Academic All-America® honors in 2015. A criminal justice, psychology and sociology major with a 4.00 G.P.A. from North Bend, Washington, Massengill hit a team-best .375 (36-of-96) and scored a team-high 21 runs this season, along with a home run and 18 RBI. She had a .410 on-base percentage and .490 slugging percentage this season. She has earned All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference first-team honors all four seasons, along with earning National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region honors three times.
A third-team Capital One Academic All-America® selection in 2013, Beikirch was named to the second team in both 2014 and 2015, as the lone three-time selection on this year’s elite squad. A catcher from Brockport, New York, Beikirch is a biology and pre-medicine major with a 3.94 G.P.A. She hit .393 (44-of-112) this season, while also generating a .418 on-base percentage and .581 slugging percentage. She had seven doubles, two triples and three home runs, driving in 13 runs, while going 12-for-12 in stolen bases. Beikirch was an All-Skyline Conference second-team selection this season.
A second-team Capital One Academic All-America® honoree in 2013, Johnson was also selected as a second-team honoree this season. A native of Preston, Maryland, Johnson is an elementary education major with a 3.72 G.P.A. A three-time NFCA All-America first-team selection and four-time All-Capital Athletic Conference honoree, Johnson is one of the leaders of a Sea Gulls squad that qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships. In the team’s regular-season finale, Johnson became the 18th pitcher in Division III history to reach the 1,000-strikeout plateau. Johnson finished with a 28-6 record, with 276 strikeouts against just 41 walks and a .156 opponent batting average, this season.
Other members of the Academic All-America® first team include: pitchers
Kendra Bowe of St. Thomas (Minn.) University and
Vanessa Hartzell of Aurora (Ill.) University; infielders
Paige Biles of Washington (Mo.) University,
Katie Bumila of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and
Cassi Glixman of Fontbonne (Mo.) University; outfielders
Courtney Allen of Messiah College (Pa.),
Michelle Mongiello of Farmingdale State College (N.Y.) and
Kelsey Rose of Luther College (Iowa); and designated player
Julie Sobieski of Hope College (Mich.).
Joining Johnson, Beikirch and Alkins on the Capital One Academic All-America® second team are: pitcher
Emily Berardi of Wheaton (Mass.); infielders
Taylor Dix of Averett (Va.) University,
Joanne Jablonski of Wisconsin-Whitewater and
Julie Rooney of Denison University (Ohio); outfielders
Shannon Fitzpatrick of Fontbonne,
Simone Frank of Williams College (Mass.) and
Emma Hart of Wheaton College (Mass.); and designated player
Megan John of Whitworth (Wash.) University.
Joining Couillard on the Capital One Academic All-America® third team are: pitchers
Taylor Grissom of Texas Lutheran University and
Courtney Yard of Kean (N.J.) Unversity; catcher
Morgan Brandt of Adrian (Mich.) College; infielders
Amanda Fischer of Wisconsin-Eau Claire,
Abby Smith of Piedmont (Ga.) College,
Shilah Snead of Rowan (N.J.) University and
Nina Wojtkiewicz of Western Connecticut State; outfielders
Jacquelyn Brown of Texas Lutheran,
Meg Griffin of Elmhurst (Ill.) College and
Samantha Hall of Averett; and designated player
Jessica Shotwell of Arcadia University (Pa.).
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jeff Schwartz, North Dakota State University (
Jeff.Schwartz@ndsu.edu) (701) 231-8332
Academic All-America® Co-Vice-Chair for Publicity/Communications
Don Stoner, Augsburg College (
stoner@augsburg.edu) (612) 330-1677
Academic All-America® Coordinator of Publicity