Six Gators Named to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 3 Softball Team
Thursday, May 7, 2009 | Softball
Six members of the No. 1/1 University of Florida softball team were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 3 team, announced on Thursday by the College Sports Information Director of America (CoSIDA).
To be eligible for All-District status, players must 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. All six of Florida's eligible players earned honors.
Seniors Ali Gardiner (Waccabuc, N.Y.), Kristina Hilberth (Dunedin, Fla.) and Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.), along with sophomore Stephanie Brombacher (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) were named to the first team. Sophomores Kelsey Bruder (Corona, Calif.) and Megan Bush (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) earned second-team honors.
The six-player total is the most in Florida history. In 2006, three Gators were selected to the district team. The only other school to have multiple players earn the District 3 honors was Florida State with two. Two other Southeastern Conference players also earned 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. The catcher will earn her bachelor's degree in sports management this summer and continue on at Florid to earn her master's. She was also the winner of the Nike Scholarship Internship.
Nelson, a two-time All-American pitcher and top-10 finalist for USA Softball's Player of the Year award, 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.
Brombacher has registered a 40-0 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 honors earlier this week. She was the only sophomore on the first team.
Bush is also a health studies major and second-team All-SEC honoree. The sophomore has already accumulated 25 home runs, which sits sixth in Florida careerQ record books. She earned SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll recognition. The shortstop is third on the team with 12 home runs this season.
Bruder, a first-team All-SEC selection, is a health studies major as well. She leads the team with 12 doubles and is second with 13 home runs. She tallied at least a .400 batting average in six SEC series this season and has hit two grand slams, including Florida's first-ever walk-off in the bottom of the seventh with two outs against Mississippi State on April 4.
All first-team selections have the opportunity to be selected as an national Academic All-American.
ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District-3 Softball Team
First-Team
| Catcher | Kristina Hilberth | Florida | Sr | Dunedin, Fla. | Sports Management |
| Infield | Whitney Haller | Georgia Tech | Sr | Marietta, Gla. | Industrial Engineering |
| Infield | Karlie Love | Campbell | Sr | Mt. Airy, N.C. | Government |
| Infield | Ali Gardiner | Florida | Sr | Waccabuc, N.Y. | Advertising |
| Infield | Blair Bodenmiller | FAU | G | Orlando, Fla. | Political Science |
| Outfield | Lisa Kingsmore | Winthrop | Sr | Brampton, Ont. | Chemistry |
| Outfield | Jenna Rhodes | Virginia Tech | Sr | Broadway, Va. | Psychology & Sociology |
| Outfield | Carly Wynn | Florida State | Jr | Sharpsburg, Ga. | Psychology |
| Pitcher | Stacey Nelson | Florida | Sr | Los Alamitos, Calif. | Philosophy |
| Pitcher | Stephanie Brombacher | Florida | So | Pembroke Pines, Fla. | Health Studies |
| DP | Ashton Payne | South Carolina | Sr | Richmond, Va. | Biology |
Second-Team
| Catcher | Catherine Lee | Georgia St. | So | Covington, Ga. | Business |
| Infield | Megan Bush | Florida | So | Anaheim Hills, Calif. | Health Studies |
| Infield | Andrea Migliori | Stetson | Sr | Winter Garden, Fla. | Accounting Info Systems |
| Infield | Michelle Snyder | Florida State | Sr | Wenatchee, Wash. | Sports Mangement |
| Infield | Jessica Johnson | East Carolina | Sr | Laguna Niguel, Calif. | Merchandising |
| Outfield | Kelsey Bruder | Florida | So | Corona, Calif. | Health Studies |
| Outfield | Taylor Schlopy | Georgia | So | West Hills, Calif. | Child & Family Development |
| Pitcher | Kellie Snooks | Radford | So | Alsip, Ill. | Pre-Med, Biology |
| Pitcher | Ashley Frederick | Coastal Carolina | Jr | Patuxent, Md. | Finance |
| DP | Abby McClain | UCF | So | Waterloo, Iowa | Biology |
