LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Blugolds.com) – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced a record number of softball players earning earned NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors for the 2016-17 academic year, with 10 Blugolds making the list.
Lauren Blasczyk (Sr.-Appleton, WI/East), Bri Calder (So. – Corcoran, MN/Rockford), Emma Lehman (So.-Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park), Kelsey Meredith (Sr.-Golden Valley, MN/Armstrong), Sam Noetzelman (Sr.-Delano, MN), Emily Pomykalski (Sr. – Cross Plains, WI/Middleton), Katie Rongstad (Fr. – Slinger, WI), Evie Schaller (Sr.-Chippewa Falls, WI/Chi-Hi), Allison Schultz (So. – Amery, WI) and Leah Wolff (Sr.-Middleton, WI) all earned a spot on the list after earning a 3.5 grade-point average or higher.
A record 7,365 softball players across seven membership divisions earned the honor, with NCAA Division I leading the way with 1,843 student-athletes, while 1,825 in Division III garnered recognition followed by 1,267 Division II student-athletes. High School weighted and High School unweighted posted 751 and 624 honorees apiece. NAIA amassed 559 recipients and Junior College totaled 496.