LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fifty-five student-athletes from 40 different institutions have been voted to one of three 2023 NFCA Division II All-America teams, the Association revealed on Wednesday evening at the NCAA Division II Championship banquet at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga.
University of Texas at Tyler, the No. 1 overall seed at the NCAA Division II Championships, and tournament participant Mississippi College each had three student-athletes represented. The Patriots were the lone program to receive two first-team honors, while the Lady Choctaws had one.
2023 NFCA DII All-America Videos (First Team | Second Team | Third Team)
Eleven programs – Augustana University, Colorado Christian University, Columbus State University, Grand Valley State University, Nova Southeastern University, Saint Leo University, University of Alabama in Huntsville, University of Central Oklahoma, University of Tampa, West Texas A&M University and Wilmington University took home two All-America accolades apiece. Colorado Christian, Columbus State, Grand Valley, Saint Leo and WT each had one first teamer.
Four student-athletes earned their third consecutive All-America honor, highlighted by three-time first-team first baseman Hannah Marsteller of Shippensburg University. Grand Valley’s Hannah Beatus adds a first-team selection to pair of third-team nods. Torri Chute, a DP or Utility/Non-Pitcher from Augustana, earned a second-team accolade to go along with a third-team selection in 2021, while University of Indianapolis’ Kenzie Smith collects a second straight plaudit on the second team after a first-team recognition in 2021.
Junior shortstop Hannah Rose of the University of Charleston, junior pitcher Tatum Goff of UT Tyler and senior first baseman Kayson Boatner of Anderson University join Marsteller as repeat first-team All-Americans. Also earning honors for a second straight year are junior Adelphi University hurler Lindsey Hibbs (first team) and senior Grand Valley shortstop Lydia Goble (second team).
Forty-one student athletes are receiving their first-ever Division II All-America award with three programs on the list for the first time. Franklin Pierce University catcher Ashley Cangiano (second team), Mercyhurst University outfielder Allison Dejidas (first team) and the Mississippi College trio of junior catcher McCall Lee (first team), freshman outfielder Shelby Samples (third team) and sophomore DP or Utility/Non-Pitcher Kamryn Eaton (third team) have the honor of being their program’s first NFCA All-Americans.
New in 2023 is the renaming of the first-team Utility/Pitcher award to honor the late Joan Joyce, an NFCA Hall of Famer and pioneer of women’s sports. Columbus State senior Hannah Rose Corbin was voted Division II’s inaugural recipient of the Joan Joyce Utility/Pitcher All-America first-team award. It marks Corbin’s second first-team selection, first capturing it in 2021.
Additionally, a pair of first-team honorees – junior pitcher Kayleigh Jones of Oklahoma Baptist University and junior second baseman Zoe Willis from Georgia Southwestern State University – are their programs first NFCA Division II All-Americans. Both universities had NFCA All-America recipients when they were members of the NAIA.
Along with being one of her program’s first-ever NFCA All-Americans, MC’s McCall Lee is the 2023 Diamond Sports/NFCA Division II Catcher of the Year. Lee powered a Lady Choctaw offense with a .415 batting average, 76 hits, 19 doubles and 67 RBI, all team bests. She added 15 home runs, 49 runs scored, a .766 slugging percentage and .466 on-base percentage. Behind the plate, she posted a .987 fielding percentage and threw out eight runners attempting to steal.
Ashlyn Lerma, a second-team All-America second baseman from Angelo State University, is the New Balance/NFCA Golden Shoe Award winner. She leads NCAA Division II with 58 swipes in 54 games and will take home the NCAA Division II’s stolen title as she is 15 ahead of the next closest student-athlete that is currently active. Lerma, who earned her first-ever All-America honor, paced the Rambelles’ offense batting .372 with 61 hits, five doubles, two triples and 47 runs scored. She drew 34 walks and reached base at a .480 clip.
Twelve All-Americans hailing from six programs will be competing at the 2022 NCAA Division II Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn. (May 25-31).
The NFCA All-America teams are voted on by the Association’s All-America Committees. In Division II, the committee is comprised of one member head coach from each of the NCAA’s eight regions. All student-athletes who were nominated by a member head coach and voted to the first- and second-team All-Region squads were eligible for All-America consideration.
