June 1, 2006

Seven NAIA softball players were honored for their excellence in the classroom as well as on the playing field as they were named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Softball Teams.

St. Xavier University (Ill.) boasted two players in Jessica Wilson and Nicole Barker.  Wilson, a senior biology major with a 3.89 GPA, posted a 14-6 record on the mound. She recorded one save and struck out 88 batters and was one of four players named to the second team.  Infielder Barker had 15 RBI's and 44-for-58 for .436 batting average.  The junior is majoring in Business and has a 3.88 GPA and was named to the third team.

Three other players were named to the second team, Kaysi Eighinger from Culver-Stockton College (Mo.), Laura Kot of Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Ohio) and Courtney Foley of University of Science & Arts (Okla.).

Eighinger played second base for the Wildcats and maintained a perfect 4.00 GPA as a Elementary Education major.  The senior posted a slugging percentage of .475 and drove in 27 runs, including four home runs.  Kot, a junior Mathematics major, also sports a 4.00 GPA.  The outfielder hit .348 with 10 RBI's and stole nine bases in 11 tries.  Foley had 59 hits and 12 RBI's on the season. The freshman Chemistry major maintains a 4.00 GPA and stole 17 bases.

Lisa Erwert of Oregon Institute of Technology and Erin Brockert of Madonna University (Mich.) joind Barker on the the third team.  Erwert is majoring in Radiology and maintains a 3.67 GPA.  The sophomore shortshop hit seven home runs and averaged one RBI per game as she appeared in 41 games for the Owls.  Brockert posted a team-high .655 slugging percentage and had 31 RBI's with five home runs. The pitcher senior pitcher had an 18-9 record with a 1.84 ERA.

College Division Academic All-America first team members were player of the year Cari Kinzenbaw (Wartburg), pitchers Megan Brown (Florida Southern) and Erica Hoyt (Muskingum); catcher Kristy Kehoss (Western New England); infielders Tracy Jordan (Eastern New Mexico), Alana Frost (Williams), and Gretchen Ruecker (Pacific Lutheran); outfielders Heather Chantiles (Shippensburg), Kristin Spencer (Alabama-Huntsville), and Robin Martz (Lewis); and designated player Maria Bye (St. Thomas, Minn.).

Second team included Stacey Bronson (Florida Southern), Jessica Wilson (St. Xavier), Kristen Schmidt (Concordia (Minn.)), Nikki Conway (St. Thomas (Minn.)), Bree Beattie (Emporia State), Sarah Downs (Ohio Wesleyan), Kaysi Eighinger (Culver-Stockton), Jenny Bernard (Christian Brothers), Julie Gawronski (Union (N.Y.)), Laura Kot (Mount Vernon Nazarene), Courtney Foley (Science & Arts), Sandi Clark, Louisiana College.

The third is comprised of Melissa Stevens (Emporia State), Andrina Arenas (Texas-Dallas), Stephanie Pinto (Alabama-Huntsville), Sarah Morse (Emory), Melissa Wegner (Lake Forest), Jennifer Coletta (Heidelberg), Lisa Erwert (Oregon Tech), Laura D'Andrea (Washington (Mo.)), Carrie Embree (St. Thomas (Minn.)), Nicole Barker (St. Xavier), Shelly Steinke (Linfield), Erika Eisenhut (Union (N.Y.)), Erin Brockert (Madonna), Kira Zeiter (Adams State).

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 (the 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-athletes 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.

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