Four Softball Players Named Academic All-America, Nelson Named Academic All-American of the Year
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 | Softball
Four members of the No. 1/1 University of Florida softball team were named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans by the College of Sports information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Senior Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) was named Academic All-American of the Year.
Senior Kristina Hilberth (Dunedin, Fla.) was named to the first team, along with Nelson. Senior Ali Gardiner (Waccabuc, N.Y.) and sophomore Stephanie Brombacher (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) were named to the third team. The honors were the first for Hilberth, Gardiner and Brombacher.
Nelson's honor was the first for the softball program and the second this athletic season for Florida as senior quarterback Tim Tebow earned the award in the fall. Prior to this season, only four Gators had achieved Academic All-America honors in the history of the program.
Florida had the most players named to the roster, including the only team with two All-America first-team members. Tennessee was second with three. In all, 11 Southeastern Conference student-athletes earned the honor to lead all conferences. Seven Women's College World Series participants (2 Arizona State, 1 Alabama) are Academic All-Americans.
Nelson, a two-time All-American pitcher and 2009 Lowe's Senior Class Award winner, is a two-time recipient of the academic first-team honor. Last season, she became the first player in the history of the program to earn first-team academic and athletic All-America honors. Also a three-time SEC Academic Honoree, the senior will graduate with a degree in philosophy and plans on attending law school. The righty (39-3) has the lowest ERA (0.41) in the country and one of the best winning percentages (.929). She is also a two-time recipient of the SEC Pitcher of the Year, All-SEC first-team and SEC All-Defensive team honors.
Gardiner, an advertising major, is an All-American first baseman who has earned All-SEC honors in 2008 and 2009. She also was named to the SEC Academic Honor last season. The senior is currently tied for third all-time among SEC first baseman for her stellar field work and she ranks in the top five on nine Florida career record lists.
Hilberth is a three-time SEC Academic Honoree who is currently second in Florida record books for her fielding percentage. Named the 2009 SEC Tournament MVP, the catcher will earn her bachelor's degree in sports management this summer and continue on at Florida to earn her master's. She was also the winner of the Nike Scholarship Internship.
Brombacher has registered a 41-0 records in her two years at Florida. She is the only pitcher in Gator history to start her career with at least 10 wins without suffering a loss. The health studies major was named to last year's SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll and earned All-SEC second-team and All-Southeast Region honors. She was also the only sophomore on the All-District first team and one of only two on the entire Academic All-America list.
To be eligible for All-American status, players must have been named to the first-team All-District and have at least a 3.30 GPA with at least sophomore standing, both academically and athletically, and completed at least two semesters at current institution. They also must have played in at least 50 percent of the team's games.
For the complete list of ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans, please visit www.cosida.com.
