ALBANY, N.Y.-- Twelve America East Softball All-Conference selections were also recognized for their academic achievement as members of the 2008 America East Softball All-Academic Team. These awards were handed out at the annual championship banquet Wednesday night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Albany, N.Y. Click here for full PDF release.
The All-Academic Team, which honors the conference’s top athletes with a 3.0 grade-point average or higher, was highlighted by the Player of the Year, Maine’s Ashley Waters, and the Pitcher of the Year, Stony Brook’s Alyssa Struzenberg. Also on the squad are first-teamers Leah McIntosh, Meagan Butsch, and Amber Maisonet of Albany, UMBC’s Kali Shirk and Marissa Fleury of Stony Brook, as well as second-teamers Bailey Van Deest of Albany, Christy Leath and Tyler Benson of Boston University, Vicki Kavitsky of Stony Brook, and Vermont’s Racehlle Eloschuk. Struzenberg recorded the highest grade point average with a 3.97.
The All-Academic team is a product of the June 2005 Athletics Director meetings. Faculty representatives and athletics directors from each of the conference’s nine member institutions decided to honor some of the league’s top athletes that are also quality students.
The All-Academic Team has been selected based on the student-athlete’s academic and athletic accomplishments. Academic achievement for consideration requires student-athletes to have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 entering the season. Athletically, student-athletes are required to be a nomination on the postseason awards ballot, which is determined by the league’s head coaches. Team size for team sports is based on the number of athletes recognized on the all-conference team (e.g., 12 honored in softball). Freshmen are not eligible for the all-academic teams and grade-point averages are taken from the semester prior to the competing athletic season.