Shelby Miller
The Northern Illinois University softball team had 12 players named 2014 National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Scholar Athletes, the organization announced Thursday.
Kaitlyn Barrett, Kristyn Barrett, Jordyn Bowen, Kayti Grable, Nicole Gremillion, Allyson Hecht, Ashley Kopp, Kali Kossakowski, Shelby Miller, Emily Naegele, Bryanna Phelan and Delani Vest were all honored for their work in the classroom.
“It’s been a big push of ours to turn our GPA around and we’re doing a good job of it,” said NIU head coach Christina Sutcliffe. “Each year, we’ve climbed substantially. To have 12 players on the NFCA Academic team gives them the accolade of how much they’re really putting into it.”
As a team, the Huskies ranked 26th in the country with a 3.437 GPA, which ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference. In addition, Miller adds to her academic awards after being named to the 2014 Academic All-MAC team in June, along with honorable mention honorees Gremillion, Kopp and Phelan.
To receive the NFCA honor, the student-athlete must maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
The Huskies close out their fall schedule this weekend when they head to Evanston to face Northwestern and Loyola. For more information on NIU softball and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.
