Softball Lands National Top-10 Mark in GPA

8/1/2023 9:12:00 AM | Softball

LEWISBURG, Pa.- The NFCA announced on Tuesday that the Bucknell Bison softball team finished ninth in the nation in team GPA among Division I programs.

"I'm so proud of this team and all the hard work they put in on and off the field this season," said head coach Sarah Caffrey. "Being in the top 10 academically is no small feat and it is just another reason to be proud to represent such a great university. They are truly student-athletes and they sacrifice a lot to be great in the classroom. We play 75% of our season on the road, so the fact that they made this happen is really amazing. I'm so grateful for this group and I know they will continue to reach new heights in the program."

Bucknell posted a sparkling 3.71 GPA to post the highest mark in the Patriot League and the second-loftiest notch in the East behind Harvard. The Bison accomplishment was powered by 18 student-athletes who achieved the distinction of NFCA Scholar-Athlete. The criteria for eligibility: a student-athlete must have a 3.5 or better cumulative GPA for the 2022-23 academic year only.

The 18 players that received the accolade: Ava Aguilar, Juliette Basso, Kaiya Burton, Mea Consentino, Noelle Gardon, Annabella Hawkins, Savannah Jones, Jessie Kincer, Chase Knapp, Kailyn Lorberter, Olivia Marinelli, Bella Radican, Marissa Rapino, Madison Roukey, Angelina Seropian, Haley Speicher, and Hunter Vestal.

Hawkins and Knapp led the way with GPAs of 4.00 during the academic calendar year, while three more players owned grades above 3.90.

For the spring semester, the Bison squad proved to be the epitome of the student-athlete combining academic brilliance with softball superiority by recording a team GPA of 3.75 and making the Patriot League Tournament for the first season since 2019. The team's GPA was the highest by a Bucknell program in the spring.

The Bucknell softball team returns to action in September with a series of fall ball games. The schedule will be announced soon.