Seven Murray State softball student-athletes have been honored by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as All-America Scholar-Athletes for the 2011-2012 academic year, the organization announced last week.
Recent graduate Chelsey Sullivan, senior Shelby Kosmecki, junior Leslie Bridges and sophomores Alexa Becker, Casey Castile, CheyAnne Gaskey and Mallory Richardson all earned the prestigious honor from the Association. Any player who turned in a 3.5 or better cumulative GPA for the 2011-12 academic year was eligible for the award.
“I am incredibly proud to see so many of our players representing Murray State on the list of NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes,” said head coach Kara Amundson. “Not only do we have a team that is competing for a championship on the field, but our players are proving that we are serious about representing Murray State and its mission of “Four Years, Two Goals”: to leave Murray State with a degree in one hand and a championship ring on the other.”
Thousands of student-athletes from seven different categories were recognized this season, representing over 600 different institutions. This year, Division I led the way in total schools honored with 140.
The honor marks the second component of the Association’s academic award program. The Association announced in late October the schools that finished in the top 10 for team GPA for each division.
The Racers finished tied for 37th, with LIU Brooklyn and South Alabama, with a team GPA of 3.32 out of 91 Division I programs. The total GPA placed Murray State third out of the seven OVC schools that submitted, behind only fifth-place Tennessee Tech and 17th-place Eastern Illinois. MSU was also the highest Division I team from the Commonwealth in the rankings, finishing ahead of Morehead State, Western Kentucky and Louisville.