COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With one player earning a CoSIDA
Academic All-District award, 17 members of the team on the OVC
Commissioner’s Honor Roll-including three Medal of Honor
winners-and a total of 41 additions to the Athletic
Director’s Honor Roll at Tech, one could safely say that the
Tennessee Tech softball team has been excelling in the
classroom.
When compared to other schools on the national stage, Tech
softball ranks near the top as it finished seventh in all of
Division I last season.
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced
the “Girls Got Game” based on GPAs submitted for the
2009-10 school year, and coach Tory Acheson’s Golden Eagles
ranked seventh in the nation and as the top OVC squad.
“I’m proud of the effort the kids have made to
achieve that level of academic success,” head coach Tory
Acheson said. “We’re being mentioned with elite
company.
“We have some great kids who are serious about their
academics,” he said. “They know ultimately that
carrying themselves in the classroom will carry them far after they
leave Tech.”
Acheson also gave credit to Dr. Lance Jasitt’s role as
Assistant Director for Academics and Student Welfare.
“I’d like to thank Dr. Jasitt and all the others
who offer their support to our athletes,” Acheson said.
“Coach Tory Acheson should be personally recognized for
quality recruiting of student-athletes, for setting extremely
challenging academic goals, and for implementing a proven academic
success program that has resulted in the highest performing team of
student-athletes at Tennessee Tech,” Dr. Lance Jasitt said.
“He has created an environment that has supported exceptional
student-athlete effort and achievement on the playing field and in
the classroom and our entire university and the Department of
Athletics can take pride in our softball team's
result.”
Through this program, the NFCA honors high school and
collegiate softball teams for their success in the classroom.
Tennessee Tech finished with a 3.51 GPA for Division I while
Robert Morris turned in the top GPA with a 3.58 average, just
seven-hundredths of a point
higher.
During the 2009-10 academic year, Lacie Coquerille earned
Cosida Academic All-District honors. When the OVC announced Medal
of Honor winners for the highest GPA in each sport, softball
winners included Stacey Butts, Brooke Basten and Anna Zdroik. The
OVC Honor Roll included 17 Golden Eagles: Basten, Robyn Bawcum,
Butts, Coquerille, Erin Cutlip, Samantha Everett, Abbey Hayes,
Claudia Harke, Sasha Howell, Beth Miller, Maddie Schmissrauter,
Brittney Spalding, Chanelle Spalding, Jessica Steele, Holly Thomas,
Lindsey Umberger and
Zdroik.
“All of us at Tennessee Tech take academics very
seriously and it shows in what our softball team has been able to
accomplish over the last few years,” Mark Wilson said.
“They have been successful on and off the field and
it’s a tribute to all the student-athletes, coaches and
academic support staff.
Rank
School
Coach
GPA
1
Robert Morris
Craig Coleman
3.580
2
Bowling Green St.
Shannon Salsburg
3.571
3
South Carolina Upstate Chris Hawkins
3.566
4
Drake
Rich Calvert
3.535
5
Campbell
Drew Peterson
3.520
6
Penn St.
Robin Petrini
3.517
7
Tennessee Tech
Tory
Acheson
3.514
8
Binghamton
Michelle Burrell
3.488
9
Central Michigan
Margo Jonker
3.485
10
Harvard
Jenny Allard
3.480
