Conference USA Softball All-Academic Team Announced
5/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 13, 2010
IRVING, Texas - Eleven student-athletes were named to the 2010 Conference USA All-Academic Team as announced by the league office Thursday and voted on by the league's sports information directors for softball. East Carolina led all teams with three selections followed by Houston and UCF with two apiece. Marshall, Southern Miss, UAB and UTEP each had one representative selected. The all-academic team consists of student-athletes who have earned a 3.2 cumulative grade point average or better and are a starter or key reserve for their team.
Jill Mathis of Southern Miss appears on the All-Academic Team as a community health student with a 3.75 GPA. The Marianna, Fla., native is a C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medalist and ranks tied for third in C-USA in doubles with 13. She leads the team with a .321 batting average, 53 hits and 37 RBIs.
UTEP's Stacie Townsend earned her third-straight All-Academic honor as a graduate student working towards a master's in business with an emphasis in economics. The Orlando, Fla., native owns a perfect 4.0 GPA and was also selected to the All-C-USA First Team earlier this week. Townsend graduated Summa Cum Laude and was named the UTEP Woman of the Year. She was also named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I National Athlete of the Week on Feb. 23, a day after sweeping both the C-USA Hitter and Pitcher of the Week awards, becoming just the third player in C-USA history to accomplish the feat.
The East Carolina duo of Charina Sumner and Kaui Tom also make repeat appearances on the All-Academic squad. Sumner was selected to the 2007-08 team and earns her second honor as a health education and promotion student with a 3.94 GPA. The senior infielder owns a .346 batting average and was named to the All-C-USA Second Team this season. Tom earns her second consecutive honor with a 4.0 GPA in health education and promotion. The short stop is a four-year Chancellor's List honoree and has collected five home runs for the Pirates this season.
Fellow Pirate and 2010 C-USA Pitcher of the Year, Toni Paisley, was selected to the All-Academic squad as a social work student with a 3.45 GPA. The Lakewood, Calif., native ranks third nationally in shutouts with 19 and earned the C-USA Pitcher of the Week accolade five times this season.
Abby McClain of UCF also joins the All-Academic Team as a repeat honoree. The Waterloo, Iowa native sports a 3.83 in biology and was named to the 2009 ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District III second team. The junior catcher was named to the All-C-USA second team this season and ranks in the top 10 in 13 different categories at UCF.
The Knights' Natalie Land earned double honors this week after being named to the All-C-USA first team and collecting All-Academic privileges as an athletic training major with a 3.87 GPA. The Mayo, Fla., native is a two-time C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medalist, while sporting a .317 batting average for UCF.
UAB sophomore Mandy Lowman was a 2009 NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and owns a 4.0 GPA in secondary education with an emphasis in math. The Huntsville, Ala., native blasted a team-high nine home runs this season to bring her career total to 16.
Rounding out the 2010 C-USA Softball All-Academic Team are Melanie Stoehr of Marshall and the Houston pair of Jennifer Klinkert and Katy Beth Sherman. Stoehr is a two-time NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and is a double-major in sports management and marketing. The Tacoma, Wash., native sports a 3.85 GPA and ranks 25th nationally in sacrifice flies with three.
Klinkert is a two-time C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medalist with a 3.93 in nutrition. The Chino, Calif., native hit two home runs in the first inning of the 20-0 shutout against Prairie View A&M on her way to setting a career record with 10 total bases. Sherman also sports a 3.93 GPA as a communications student. The Waller, Texas native is also a C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medalist and went 1-for-1 and scored a run in season-opening win against No. 14 Ohio State on Feb. 12.
The 2010 C-USA Softball Championship beings today and will be hosted by Houston. This year's Championships will take place May 13-15 at the Cougar Softball Stadium in Houston, Texas. For live coverage and updates on the Championship, visit: http://conferenceusa.cstv.com/championships/10-w-softbl-championship.html.
2010 C-USA Softball All-Academic Team
NAME - SCHOOL - YEAR - GPA - MAJORMbr> Toni Paisley - East Carolina - Junior - 3.45 - Social Work
*Charina Sumner - East Carolina - Senior - 3.94 - Health Education and Promotion
*Kaui Tom - East Carolina - Senior - 4.00 - Health Education and Promotion
Jennifer Klinkert - Houston - R-Sophomore - 3.93 - Nutrition
Katy Beth Sherman - Houston - Junior - 3.93 - Communications
Melanie Stoehr - Marshall - Junior - 3.85 - Sports Management and Marketing
Jill Mathis - Southern Miss - Junior - 3.75 - Community Health
Mandy Lowman - UAB - Sophomore - 4.00 - Secondary Education-Math
Natalie Land - UCF - Sophomore - 3.87 - Athletic Training
*Abby McClain - UCF - Junior - 3.83 - Biology
**Stacie Townsend - UTEP - Graduate - 4.00 - Master's in Business-Economics
*Repeat Selection