Softball

Softball Earns NFCA Academic Honors

UNION, N.J. (11/4/09) - For the third straight year, the Kean University softball team earned academic recognition from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association for the team's efforts in the classroom.

Under Head Coach Margie Acker, the Cougars posted the 22^nd highest cumulative grade point average of the more than 400 NCAA Division III schools that sponsored softball during the 2008-09 academic year. 

The Cougars, who posted a 3.323 grade point average last year, moved up 12 spots from a year ago when the Cougars were tied for the 34^th highest GPA with a 3.312 during  2007-08.

Individually, senior Melissa Dietrich (Carteret, N.J.) (pictured right) and junior Sarah Hamm (Hackettstown, N.J.) were named NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes after posting a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Former players Nikki Castagno (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Sara Steinman (Springfield, N.J.) were also named NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes after concluding their career this past spring. 

It was the third straight year Steinman and Dietrich earned the honors, while Castagno and Hamm (pictured left) have earned the recognition twice.