Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Softball Places Three on ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team
5/6/2010 8:00:00 AM | Softball
May 6, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell softball placed three student-athletes on the 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II teams on Thursday the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced today. Mary Pavlovich (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) and Sherry Finkel (Morgantown, W. Va./University) were both voted to the first team, while Jessie Snyder (Tacoma, Wash./Stadium) was a second-team selection. Bucknell's three honorees tops the Patriot League.
With the trio's selection, Bucknell softball has now placed at least one student-athlete on the All-District list for seven consecutive years. To be eligible, student-athletes must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 and be a starter or key reserve. Selections to the first team are now eligible for Academic All-America status, which will be voted on later this month.
Pavlovich makes her second appearance on an All-District squad, having been named to the second team last year. Now in her senior season, the third baseman is hitting a career-best .327 with nine doubles and four home runs. The strong finish to her career has helped move her up several lists in the Bucknell record books. While the season has not yet concluded, Pavlovich ranks fourth in career games played (177) and doubles (36), sixth in runs scored (88), ninth in career hits (144) and 10th in career home runs (7).
In her four years in the Orange and Blue, Pavlovich has maintained a 3.66 GPA. A biology major, she has been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll three times and the Bucknell Dean's List six times. While on campus, she also serves on the Recruitment and Selection Committee with the Bucknell Office of Housing and Residential Life and as a resident assistant. She has remained active off campus as well, working as a veterinary intern at dairy farms and spending parts of the last three years as an intern at the state senate. Some of Pavlovich's recent volunteerism includes a position as the Activities Coordinator at a local senior living home and with V.E. Erickson Little League.
Also a senior, Finkel makes her first Academic All-District Team with a 3.67 GPA while majoring in environmental studies and minoring in biology and anthropology. Finkel has been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll twice and the Bucknell Dean's List six times during her time as a Bison. Her studies have landed her a number of internships, including with the Bucknell Environmental Center, where she assisted with a wetlands creation project, and with McKenna Environmental Research, where she studied effects of acid rain.
Finkel was also recently honored with the Robert A. Latour Service Award at the Bucknell Athletics Senior Recognition Dinner for her outstanding contributions to the university and community. The outfielder currently serves as the first Bucknell Dining Sustainability Coordinator, a position that allowed her to develop the Eco-Steps program and promote local agriculture. She is also a former volunteer of the year in her home state of West Virginia for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Conservation Division, a three-year team representative with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the vice president of Students for Fair Trade.
Finkel's athletic accomplishments this year include a career-best .310 batting average, nine doubles and 25 RBI. A team co-captain, Finkel has also helped lead Bucknell to its first winning season since 1996 and its third consecutive appearance in the Patriot League Tournament.
Snyder makes her first Academic All-District Team with a 3.76 GPA while majoring in English. One of just two juniors to make the second team, Snyder is a two-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and Dean's List. She is also an active member in the Bison Buddy program, which works with local youth to promote the sport of softball. Off campus, the second baseman has volunteered with the Red Cross in disaster preparedness drills and traveled to Mexico as part of a mission trip to work with impoverished and orphaned children.
On the field, Snyder has posted a .267 average while starting all 40 of the games in which she has appeared. The Tacoma, Wash., native also has three doubles and three triples while recording 15 runs and 16 RBI on the season. For her career, Snyder ranks 10th in home runs (7) and is approaching the program's top 10 in games played (140) and runs scored (62).
Also earning All-District honors from the Patriot League were Lehigh's Jen Colquhoun, Army's Rachael Duval and Holy Cross' Amanda Audette and Mandy Correale. Bucknell was the only league school to earn First Team selections.
The Bison will continue their season next week at the Patriot League Tournament May 13-15. Third-seeded Bucknell is joined in the four-team field by Army, Colgate and Lehigh. The tournament will be held at the site of the highest seed.
