Friday, April 22, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – Central Washington is leading the way both on the softball diamond and in the classroom as their nine selections lead the 2016 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Softball All-Academic Team.

The Wildcats’ nine includes five repeat selections. The group is led by sophomore Laura Steiner, who boasts the highest cumulative grade point average among the 41 honorees with a 3.93. Her major is undecided. The Wildcats, picked to finish fifth in the GNAC coaches’ preseason poll, enter the weekend leading the league with a 16-8 conference record, 32-11 overall.

Saint Martin’s, who is battling with Central Washington for the GNAC regular season championship this weekend, also had nine selections to the All-Academic Team with three repeat selections. Sophomore Lindsay Miller leads the Saints with a 3.84 grade point average as an accounting major. The Saints enter the weekend with a 15-9 GNAC mark. 32-15 overall. Concordia and Montana State Billings each had seven selections to the team.

Steiner and Miller top a list of five selections with a 3.80 grade point average or better. Joining the duo are Concordia’s Meghan Luebbert and Tori Muir and Northwest Nazarene’s Abigail Watkins.

The All-Academic Team includes 12 repeat selections and four three-time selections: Central Washington’s Michaela Hazlett and Alex Olague; Montana State Billings’ Cori Gammon and Saint Martin’s Allie Lovitt. This year’s two-time selections include Central Washington’s Kailyn Campbell, Taylor Ferleman and Haley Fritz; Saint Martin’s Jackie Schmaeling and Alyssa Slate and Western Washington’s Shayna Adelstein, Lynsey Amundson and Kali Patterson.

To earn selection to the GNAC All-Academic Team, student-athletes must have a 3.20 cumulative grade point average or better, be of sophomore standing or better and be in their second season of competition.