LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced the 2014-15 All-America Scholar-Athlete honors Tuesday afternoon and four University of New Mexico softball players made the list.
Taylor Duffy, Shelbie Franc, Brandi Heimburg and Gabrielle Stacey all picked up the honor with outstanding work in the classroom. Each student-athlete had at least a 3.5 grade point average for the 2014-15 academic year. All GPA’s were based on a 4.0 scale. As a team, the Lobos finished with a 3.32.
“Our program focuses on academics as well as athletics,” said head coach Erica Beach. “We put a lot of pressure on our team to excel in both and to see four of our girls being recognized for their hard work both on the field and in the class room is really fantastic for this program.
“It makes me so proud as a coach to see their hard work pay off. These girls work incredibly hard in the classroom and have sacrificed a lot of personal time to make sure their grades are where they want them. As a coach, you can’t ask for more from your student-athletes, to put that much dedication into their schooling.”
The NFCA announced 5,493 softball players who earned NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors for the 2014-15 academic year, which goes across seven membership divisions. NCAA Division I, with 1,554 honorees, had the most student-athletes with a 3.5 grade-point average or higher, while 1,018 in Division III earned recognition, followed by 833 Division II student-athletes.