The Gustavus softball team was recognized last Thursday for its achievements off the field, honored as a 2010-11 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III All-Academic Team. The Gusties accumulated a 3.293 grade point average (GPA), ranking 60th among NCAA Division III schools.
Eight Gustavus softball players were named Division III All-America Scholar Athletes – DeeDee Arnold (Grand Rapids, Minn.), Kat Dahl (Luverne, Minn.), Jenny Doeden (New Hope, Minn.), Jenny Ewert (St. James, Minn.), Lisa Klass (Richfield, Minn.), Amy Lynch (Watertown, Minn.), Kelly Myers (Lakeville, Minn.) and Emily Wendorff (Lakeville, Minn.).
Over 4,000 student-athletes representing 707 different academic institutions were named as a 2011 NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete. The award is given to any player submitted by a member coach who achieved a 3.50 GPA or higher during the 2010-11 academic year. The award is the second component of the Association’s academic award program. Last week, the teams with the highest GPAs in each membership category were recognized as a 2011 NFCA Top Ten All-Academic team.
This year’s total of 4,331 honorees bested last year’s total by over 30 student-athletes. The membership category with the most participating institutions this year was Division III with 168, while high school led the way in total honorees with 1,160.