AUSTIN, Texas — Averett University softball players Taylor Dix and Samantha Hall made school history when they were named Wednesday to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America Division III Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Dix, a junior shortstop, was named to the Second Team, while Hall, a sophomore outfielder, was voted to the Third Team.

Dix and Hall not only became the first Capital One Academic All-America selection in the softball program's history, they also are the first Averett student-athletes in any sport to earn All-America and Academic All-America honors in the same season. The two earned recognition for their play on the field when they were voted to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Second Team a week earlier.

Dix and Hall were two of 10 Division III players in the country to earn both Capital One Academic All-America and NFCA All-America honors this season.  Averett, Fontbonne University and Wheaton College (Mass.) are the only three schools to have multiple Academic All-America selections.

"I am extremely proud of these two young ladies for what they have done on the field and more importantly in the classroom," Averett coach Bren Taylor said. "They are two of the hardest workers and have the team's respect as being leaders and positive role models. They each have started paving the way for future success of this program and the positive team culture that is needed to have a cohesive team unit."

Dix, a native of Danville, Virginia, holds a cumulative 3.63 grade point average while majoring in two concentrations of psychology. On the field, Dix had a stellar season in which she was named the 2015 USA South Conference Player of the Year while earning NFCA Atlantic All-Region First Team and NFCA All-America Second Team honors. The USA South All-Conference First Team selection set the conference single-season record with a .540 batting average, which ranks first in the nation. Dix finished with 22 doubles, three home runs, 58 runs batted in and 48 runs scored in 41 games after missing most of 2014 due to injury. In addition to leading the nation in batting average, she ranks second in on-base percentage (.645), fourth in doubles per game and fourth in RBIs per game. She also garnered USA South All-Tournament Team recognition this season and earned Capital One Academic All-District honors leading up to this latest honor.

"It is an honor to receive such a big award," Dix said. "I want to give a special thanks to all the professors I've had at Averett for being understanding and willing to work with me as an athlete with such a packed schedule. They really make being a student-athlete more manageable, and not a lot of athletes can say that about their school. I am truly blessed to be at the university I am with such a supportive faculty. It is so rewarding to see the hard work I put into my schoolwork pay off."

Hall, a native of Stoneville, North Carolina, has a cumulative 3.82 GPA while majoring in nursing. On the field, she batted .500 in 40 games this season and was named to the USA South All-Conference First Team and NFCA Atlantic All-Region First Team before being named to the NFCA All-America Second Team. She finished with 68 hits, 52 runs scored, one double and nine RBIs. For the second year in a row, she led the USA South in stolen bases with 45 in 49 attempts. Nationally, Hall ranks third in stolen bases, ninth in batting average and 12th in runs scored per game. Off the field, Hall also earned Capital One Academic All-District honors to qualify her for her latest recognition.

"All I do is study, manage my time wisely and try to do the best I can in all of my classes," Hall said. "I am just so thankful that all of my hard work is being recognized."

Averett (35-5-1) had a memorable season that included the program's second NCAA Tournament appearance, first NCAA Regional win, a USA South Conference regular season championship, its first national ranking and a number of team and individual records and honors.

Dix and Hall are the fifth and sixth Capital One Academic All-America selections at Averett, joining volleyball's Jesse Jones (2011) and Paige Aaron (2011 and 2012) and women's soccer's Cathrine Onarheim (2014).

"To develop young women and men who are successful as both a student and an athlete is our mission in Averett Athletics," Averett Director of Athletics Meg Stevens said. "To be named an All-American and an Academic All-America in the same year is an incredible feat and something that rarely happens. I am very proud of both Taylor and Sam, and they are a great example of hard work on and off the field."

To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his or her current institution and be nominated by his or her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.



 

2015 Capital One Academic All-America Division III Softball Team
FIRST TEAM
Position P P C IF IF IF IF OF OF OF DP	Name Kendra Bowe Vanessa Hartzell    Danielle Massengill (2) Paige Biles    Katie Bumila   Sam Curran (2)  Cassi Glixman   Courtney Allen Michelle Mongiello Kelsey Rose Julie Sobieski	School St. Thomas (Minn.) Aurora Thiel Washington (Mo.)   Worcester Polytechnic  Wentworth Inst. of Tech.  Fontbonne   Messiah Farmingdale State Luther Hope	Year Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr.	Hometown Chippewa Falls, Wis. Highland, Ind. North Bend, Wash. House Springs, Mo. Raynham, Mass.   Quincy, Mass.   St. Louis, Mo.  Lancaster, Pa.   Elmont, N.Y.   Bettendorf, Iowa  St. Charles, Ill.	GPA 3.91 3.95 4.00 3.94 3.97 3.99 3.92 3.93 3.87 3.77 3.93	Major Science health promotion Criminal justice Criminal justice/psych./sociology Psychology Chemical engineering Biomedical engineering Dietetics Accounting Business management Management / accounting Public accounting
SECOND TEAM
Position P P C IF IF IF IF OF OF OF DP	Player Emily Berardi  Rachel Johnson (#) Kristen Beikirch (%)  Alie Alkins    Taylor Dix Joanne Jablonski  Julie Rooney   Shannon Fitzpatrick Simone Frank  Emma Hart   Megan John	School Wheaton (Mass.) Salisbury    Sage Colleges   Widener Averett  Wisconsin-Whitewater Denison       Fontbonne  Williams    Wheaton (Mass.) Whitworth	Year Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr.	Hometown Boston, Mass. Preston, Md. Brockport, N.Y.     Aston, Pa. Danville, Va. Palatine, Ill.     Munroe Falls, Ohio Hazelwood, Mo.   Amherst, Mass.  Lincoln, R.I.    Beaverton, Ore.	GPA 3.85 3.72 3.94 4.00 3.63 3.86 3.75 3.97 3.70 3.56 3.97	Major Classics Elementary education Biology & pre-medicine Early childhood/special education Psychology Elementary education BSE Philosophy/international studies English Biology & anthropology Biology Health science
THIRD TEAM
Position P P C IF IF IF IF IF OF OF OF DP	Player Taylor Grissom  Courtney Yard Morgan Brandt Mary-Clare Couillard Amanda Fischer Abby Smith     Shilah Snead  Nina Wojtkiewicz   Jacquelyn Brown Meg Griffin   Samantha Hall  Jessica Shotwell	School Texas Lutheran  Kean Adrian   Hamline Wisconsin-Eau Claire Piedmont     Rowan Western Connecticut State Texas Lutheran Elmhurst     Averett     Arcadia	Year Jr. Sr. Jr.  So. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. Sr.	Hometown Spring, Texas  Stockton, N.J. Eastlake, Ohio     Fridley, Minn.   Wausau, Wis. Washington, Ga.   Malaga, N.J.   Griswold, Conn.  Vidor, Texas Naperville, Ill.  Stoneville, N.C.  Winsted, Conn.	GPA 3.86 3.76 3.95 4.00 3.43 3.93 3.61 3.69 3.87 3.95 3.82 3.56	Major Education Mathematics/special education Exercise science Public health science/psychology Kinesiology Nursing Health & physical education Justice & law administration Accounting Nursing Nursing Psychology
Academic All-American of the Year:  Sam Curran, Wentworth Inst. of Tech.
(2)   Capital One Academic All-America® Division III 2nd team selection in 2014 (#)   Capital One Academic All-America® Division III 2nd team selection in 2013 (%)   Capital One Academic All-America® Division III 2nd team selection in 2014 and 3rd team selection in 2013