LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After a season that featured weekly movement in the Top 25 rankings, the 2013 NFCA All-Region Awards showed no different pattern, with 159 different teams placing at least one student-athlete on an NFCA All-Region team, as announced today by the Association.
A complete list of All-Region honors can be found by clicking here.
Five regions saw squads place all six of their eligible student-athletes on an All-Region team, with Salisbury in the Atlantic Region featuring two first team selections and four second team selections and Trine in the Central Region boasting four first team choices, one second team and one third team selection.
In the Midwest Region, two schools successfully placed all six of their nominations, with Coe earning four first team, one second team and one third team nod, while St. Thomas spread a pair of student-athletes evenly throughout each of the three regional teams. Utica in the Northeast Region placed all six of their nominees as well, with three first team selections, two second team and one third team designee. In the West Region, Linfield placed the most nominees with a total of four landing as first team selections and two as second team.
Ranked No. 1 in the NFCA Division III Top 25 poll to end the regular season, Salisbury placed battery combination Rachel Johnson (pitcher) and Michelle Gravdahl (catcher) on the Atlantic All-Region First Team, followed by teammates Kathryn Larson (pitcher), Hannah Mills (shortstop), Sarah Alpaugh (outfielder) and Harley Hill (at-large) on the second team. Virginia Wesleyan and Christopher Newport each placed five players on Atlantic All-Region squads as the next highest award earners.
After putting up record-breaking offensive numbers this season, Trine University first baseman Lauren Harris, outfielder Carly Searles, designated player Amy Newell and pitcher Andi Gasco led the team as the four Central All-Region First Team selections. Catcher Sarah Belote (second team) and at-large third team selection Rachel Harris rounded out the fifth and sixth nods for the Thunder. John Carroll University was the next highest earner in the Central Region with four selections as nine different teams placed at least two players, while 15 placed one.
In the East Region, three schools placed four student-athletes on All-Region teams, with Rowan and Neumann owning three first team selections each. Pitcher LeAnne Miller, first baseman Stephanie Labas and shortstop Shilah Snead earned first team honors for Rowan, while Neumann’s Becca Reinhart (second base), Alli White (outfield) and Mariah Ripken (designated player) took home first team accolades. The College of New Jersey landed four on the East Region teams, with one second team choice in outfielder Liz Huttner and three at-large third team designees in Ashtin Helmer, Kelly Hommen and Ashley Sogluizzo. Of the 23 teams placing student-athletes in the East, five others (Alvernia, Susquehanna, Lebanon Valley, Moravian and Montclair State) owned three selections on an All-Region team.
The Great Lakes Region featured five of the twenty awarded schools that placed four student-athletes on an All-Region team. Aurora University led the way with three first teamers and one second team selection in catcher Tristan Wilcox, shortstop Brooke Spencer, designated player Stephanie Lynch and pitcher Natalie Zanella, respectively. Illinois Wesleyan and UW Whitewater each earned two first team nods in IWU third baseman Emma Clark and outfielder Kerri Leach as well as UW Whitewater at-large selections Katie Boyle and Emily Epifanio. Carthage College and UW Oshkosh also placed four players on All-Region teams in the Great Lakes.
In the Central, the University of St. Thomas and Coe College both garnered six All-Region selections, with Coe placing four on the All-Region First Team. Battery combination Maddison Woodruff and Abby Flannagan, as well as outfielder Morgan Louck and at-large selection Callie Morningstar led the way for Coe on the first team. Second team selection Brianna Hull (third base) and third teamer Emily Grell (at-large) claimed the final two awards for Coe. St. Thomas spread their nominees out evenly, placing two student-athletes on each of the three All-Region teams in the Central. Second baseman Kim Hassel and at-large selection Emily Gregory earned first team accolades, outfielder Alyssa Dunrud and at-large selection Jenna Hoffman earned second team honors and at-large selections Kendra Bowe and McKenzie Wergin reaped third team choices. Of the 17 schools placing student-athletes on All-Region teams in the Central, Luther and Simpson both placed five, while Washington University – St. Louis placed four.
Eastern Connecticut State University led the way in the New England Region with five All-Region selections. Third baseman Arielle Cooper and designated player Sam Rosetti earned first team honors for Eastern Connecticut, followed by three at-large selections on the third team in Kelly Paterson, Mattie Brett and Megan Godwin. Tufts University, Wellesley College and Springfield College (MA) all placed four on All-Region teams. Tufts led the way overall with three first team selections, the most in the region, in pitcher Allyson Fournier, catcher Johanna Clair and utility Emily Beinecke.
The Northeast saw 18 schools earn at least a single All-Region nod with one earning six, three earning five, one with three and eight schools with a pair selections. Utica led the way with three first team, two second team and a third team selection in shortstop Alysa Russell, outfielder Christy Traglia, designated player Courtney Fitzgerald, second baseman Dominique Carcone, outfielder Chelsea Monroe and at-large selection Abby Monroe, respectively. St. John Fisher earned the most first team honors in the region when pitcher Sarah Stefanon, catcher Leanne Merchant, first baseman Sarah Fordyce and third baseman Kayla Goodberlet all took home All-Region First Team awards. St. John Fisher also placed at-large selection Jessica Smyrski on the All-Region Third Team. Other schools placing five student-athletes on a Northeast All-Region team were Cortland State and Ithaca.
Two schools, Linfield and University of Texas-Tyler, earned four All-Region First Team selections in the West. Linfield placed six nominees overall with pitcher Karina Paavola, third baseman Karleigh Prestianni, designated player Lisa Yamamoto and outfielder Erin Carson earning first team nods while second baseman Ashley Garcia and outfielder Grace Middelstadt earned second team honors. Texas-Tyler saw pitcher Kelsie Batten, catcher Brittney Batten, outfielder Joey Cronin and utility Heather Abshire earn first team accolades. At-large selection Raven Rodriguez earned UT-Tyler’s other award on the All-Region Second Team. East Texas Baptist University and Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps College both placed four players on West All-Region teams with CMS earning two first team selections in Harmony Palmer (second base) and Hayley Schultz (at-large).
The Division III national championship begins next week in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and NFCA Division III All-Americans will be announced Thursday at the NCAA championship banquet.
