Thursday, May 12, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – Led by three members of the conference’s championship team, five GNAC players have been selected to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Division II Academic All-District 8 Softball Team.

Nighthawks pitchers Sidney Booth and Tori Hensley and shortstop Ivy Hommel headline the GNAC selections. The trio is joined by Western Oregon catcher Natalie Willoughby and Western Washington senior shortstop Tatum Dow. Booth, Hommel and Dow were named to the team for the second consecutive year.

Booth, who is a junior academically and a sophomore in terms of athletic eligibility, made the team with a 3.93 GPA as a pre-physical therapy major. The GNAC Pitcher of the Year and a First Team All-GNAC selection, Booth leads the GNAC with 18 wins and a 1.70 earned run average. In 194 innings, she has allowed 68 runs, 47 earned, and struck out 207. Her 26 complete games entering the NCAA West Regional ranked second in Division II.

In addition to her pitching prowess, Booth is fourth in the GNAC with a .379 batting average, is tied for fourth with 36 runs scored and tied sixth with 58 hits.

Hensley, who is a graduate student academically and a junior in terms of eligibility, owns a 3.83 GPA in NNU’s Master of Business Administration program. Hensley was the Nighthawks’ regular No. 2 pitcher, ranking fifth in the GNAC with a 3.00 earned run average. In 86.1 innings, Hensley allowed 84 runs, 37 earned, and struck out 80. A two-way player like Booth, Hensley is batting .315 and has played in 46 of the Nighthawks’ 54 games.

Hommel is a senior who owns a 3.97 GPA as a graduate student in education. Ranking 10th in the GNAC with a .352 batting average, Hommel leads the conference with 57 runs scored, is tied for sixth with eight home runs and eighth with 58 hits. Her five triples is second in the GNAC.

Willoughby, who has a 3.86 GPA as a business major, finished the season ranked ninth in the GNAC with a .355 batting average while compiling 50 hits, 35 runs scored and 12 doubles. She was among three players tied for the conference lead with 11 home runs.

Dow, who owns a 3.91 GPA as an elementary education major, finished the season with a .321 batting average as she helped lead the Vikings to the GNAC Championships. Dow ranked fifth in the GNAC with 59 hits and was tied for fourth with 36 runs scored.

With their selections, the quintet is now eligible for selection to the Division II Academic All-America Softball Team, which will be announced on June 7.

The Academic All-District teams are nominated and voted upon by members of CoSIDA and recognize student-athletes of sophomore standing or higher who are starters or significant reserves for their teams with a minimum GPA of 3.30 or better. Members of the Academic All-District 8 team are selected from players from the GNAC, CCAA and PacWest Conference.