Five members of the Smith College softball team were recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) as All-America Scholar-Athletes for their work inside the classroom during the 2013-14 academic year.
Junior Edie Richardson (Franklin, Mass./Fontbonne Academy), sophomores Joanna Giordano (South Salem, N.Y./John Jay), and Caroline Kushner (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire), as well as first-years Natalie Burchat (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) and Ruth Zimmerman (Edison, N.J./John P. Stevens) all carried at least a 3.5 GPA while helping the program produce its highest single-season win total since 2005.
Earlier this year, Giordano and Kushner were placed on the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Academic All-Conference Team for touting a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 through the fall semester.
"Out of all of the successes our softball family experienced this spring, the five women named an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete is by far the most impressive," boasted head coach Kelly O'Connell. "Edie, Caroline, Joanna, Ruth and Natalie exemplify what it truly means to be a student-athlete. They get it done at an exceptionally high level both on the field and in the classroom. We are extremely proud of them!"
Smith (23-13) under the tutelage of O'Connell, who completed her third season in Northampton, finished second in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Softball Championship as the six seed and went on to capture the program's second Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England title.
Submitted by Smith College Athletics.
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