Pioneer softball honored for academic achievements
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The Pioneer softball team ranked 62nd among 247 Division II programs in team GPA last year. (Photo: Erika
- November 5, 2010
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ softball team was named a 2009-10 Girls Got Game/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II All-Academic Team and saw eight players collect Scholar Athlete honors. The Pioneers were among the top 74 Division II softball programs in team grade point average and was one of just four teams in the CCAA to have student-athletes earn recognition.
The Pioneers finished the 2009-10 academic year with a 3.11 team grade point average, ranking 62nd out of 274 Division II softball programs. East Bay was one of just three conference squads to collect All-Academic Team honors, joining UC San Diego and San Francisco State on the list.
Senior Rachelle Boone, juniors Nikki Freiberg, Dani Foster and Sarah Hasenfus, freshmen Sara Holdridge, Emily Montanez and Ashlee Coronado, and redshirt Angelysa Washington were each recognized for their outstanding work in the classroom last year. The academic honors were the second of the year for Boone, Freiberg, Hasenfus, Holdridge. Montanez and Coronado, who all were named CCAA All-Academic after earning a GPA of 3.4 or higher during the 2009-10 academic year.
The Pioneers found success on the field, as well as the classroom, in 2010, finishing their first season competing in Division II with 14 victories and reaching the Bronze Bracket title game at Cal State Stanislaus' Mizuno Tournament of Champions in Turlock in March.
The Girls Got Game/NFCA Academic Awards program honors both collegiate and high school teams for their submitted GPAs for the 2009-10 academic year. All student-athletes who achieved a 3.50 GPA during last academic year are also named Girls Got Game/NFCA Scholar Athletes.