Upstate Softball Places Seven on NFCA All-America Scholar Team
12/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Spartanburg, S.C. – Traditionally one of the Athletic Department's top academic teams, the USC Upstate softball program had seven players named to the 2011-12 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar team, announced the NFCA in a recent release.
Student-athletes were chosen to be All-America Scholar selections after posting a GPA of 3.50 or better during the 2011-12 academic year. Upstate was one of 140 Division I institutions represented on the All-America Scholar team. Upstate was one of four A-Sun schools (ETSU, Northern Kentucky and Stetson) to have softball players chosen for the team with seven of the league's 28 selections.
The seven Upstate softball student-athletes to earn NFCA All-America Scholar honors were Hannah Alexander (P, Lexington, N.C.), Casee Clauser (P, Ladera Ranch, Claif.), Maddison Kieffer (SS, Middleburg, Fla.), Dana Landers (2B/SS, Simpsonville, S.C.), Marche Llanos (2B, Kapolei, Hawaii), Kara Lohr (2B, Lexington, N.C.) and Sam Poarch (P, Jacksonville, Fla.).
"I am extremely proud of the commitment and effort to excel academically by the players in our program, and am especially proud these seven young women have been awarded with a prestigious academic honor," said Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins. "We put a high emphasis on working just as hard in the classroom as we do on the field. I think success in both areas goes hand-in-hand."
Lohr, a sophomore this season, earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the 2011-12 academic year, highlighting the success of the softball program. She was one of four Spartan student-athletes to earn a 4.0 GPA for the entire year. Llanos, also a sophomore, and Clauser, who no longer plays softball at Upstate, both earned a 4.0 GPA during one semester last year.
The softball program traditionally finishes in the top five in academic success among Upstate's 15 athletic programs. Last year, the team finished third each semester, posting a 3.405 GPA in the fall and a 3.140 in the spring.
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