June 15, 2009

SAN MARCOS, Texas - Texas State senior shortstop Alex Newton was named the Capital One Bank/Southland Conference Softball Student-Athlete of the Year, announced today by the league office. Newton also earned SLC All-Academic First Team honors. Joining Newton on the first team is sophomore designated player McKenzie Baack and senior outfielder Taylor Hall. Junior first baseman Leah Boatright and sophomore third baseman Jenna Emery both earned second team accolades.

Newton holds a 3.45 cumulative grade point average, with a major in special education. The LaPorte, Texas native was also named the 2009 SLC Softball Player of the Year, while earning 2009 SLC All-Conference First Team honors and 2009 NFCA All-Central Region First Team honors. She received the SLC Hitter of the Week for the week of April 27th. She has been a member of the SLC Commissioner's Honor Roll since the Spring of 2006; Oak Farms Winner from 2006-2008 and a four time Dean's List recipient. A former Arthur Ashe Winner, the four-year starter appeared in every game of her career. She was a 2008 SLC All-Conference Third Team member and 2007 SLC All-Tournament team member. She led the league in hits (62) and was third in batting average (.332). She led the team in total bases with 96 and at-bats with 187. She finished her career in the Top 10 of the Texas State all-time batting average (.293), at-bats (669), runs scored (106), hits (195), doubles (41), triples (7), home runs (14), RBI's (87), total bases (292), stolen bases (37)and base on balls (55).

Baack, a native of Round Rock, Texas made first team honors for the first time of her career. With a major in Marketing, the designated player holds a cumulative grade point average of 3.15. She was named to the 2009 SLC All-Conference First Team during her second season. In her rookie year, she was named the 2008 SLC Hitter of the Year, while taking home 2008 SLC All-Conference Second Team accolades. Baack has been an Oak Farms Winner since 2007.

Boatright, a second-time SLC All-Academic selection finished the year with a cumulative grade point average of 3.42. The Baytown, Texas native is majoring in marketing. She was a 2009 SLC Honorable Mention and SLC All-Tournament Team member in her junior year. In 2008, she earned SLC All-Conference Second Team honors. She earned SLC Hitter of the Week honors for the week of March 16. She has been on the SLC Commissioner's Honor Roll since the Spring of 2007 and an Oak Farms Winner since 2006. She was named to the Dean's List the Spring of 2007. She led the Bobcats in home runs with six, while recording 266 put-outs. The first baseman ranks ninth in the SLC in the RBI category.

Emery, a Sugar Land, Texas native wrapped up her sophomore campaign with a cumulative grade point average of 3.16, while majoring in respiratory care. She earned 2009 SLC Second Team honors She was named to the SLC Commissioner's Honor Roll in the Spring of 2008 and has been an Oak Farms Winner since 2007. She was named to the Dean's List the Fall 2008. Emery started every game this season, leading Texas State with a .565 slugging percentage. She ranks third in Season Doubles for TXST with 16 and led the league in doubles.

Texas State led all schools with five all-academic selections including three first-team honorees. Stephen F. Austin, UT Arlington and Northwestern State each had three, Sam Houston State had two and Central Arkansas, McNeese State, Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana each had one.

Established in the 2002-03 academic year, the conference honors one student-athlete from each of the 17 championship sports who achieves excellence in academics, athletics and community/campus service.

The student-athlete of the year, selected by the league's Awards Committee, will have attained athletics achievement for at least two years at the nominating institution, possess at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and demonstrated extracurricular service at her campus and or community.

The all-academic teams are voted on by the head coaches, sports information directors and academic/compliance administrators from each Southland university. Student-athletes must possess a 3.0 cumulative GPA, have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution and participated in at least 50 percent of the team's competition to qualify for the all-academic squad.

Included in Capital One Bank's support of the Southland Conference Academic Awards Program is the F.L. McDonald Postgraduate Scholarship, the All-Academic Teams, the Student-Athlete of the Year, the Scholar-Athlete Award and the Commissioner's Honor Roll.

2009 Southland Softball All-Academic Teams

First Team  

Alex Newton * $          Texas State          Sr. LaPorte, Texas 3.45 Interdisciplinary Studies

McKenzie Baack *       Texas State          Jr. Round Rock, Texas 3.15 Marketing

Audrey Wood^ #         Nicholls                Jr. Lawton, Okla. 3.90 Nursing

Katie Duhe^               Southeastern La.   So. Lutcher, La. 4.00 Accounting

Briana Bishop* #         Stephen F. Austin   Jr. College Station, Texas 3.47 Kinesiology

Karie Hugie^ !             Stephen F. Austin   Sr. Greenville, Miss. 3.96 Biology

Samantha Chumchal*   UT Arlington          Jr. Richwood, Texas 3.21 Pre. K-Education

Heather Fortenberry*    UT Arlington          Jr. Mesquite, Texas 3.23 Criminal Justice

Larissa Martin^            A&M-Corpus Christi Sr. Franklin, Texas 4.00 Math

Andrea Simancas^ #    A&M-Corpus Christi Sr. Pasadena, Texas 3.86 History

Taylor Hall                  Texas State           Sr.  Baytown, Texas 3.78 Exercise & Sports Science

Second Team

Kendra Spivey#            Sam Houston State Sr. Colleyville, Texas 3.90 Biology

Cara Hulme#               UT Arlington            Jr. Van, Texas 3.67 Kinesiology

Leah Boatright #          Texas State            Jr. Baytown, Texas 3.42 Marketing

Sarah Garcia Central     Arkansas                Jr. Slymar, Calif. 3.97 Family & Consumer Sciences

Jenna Emery               Texas State            So. Sugar Land, Texas 3.16 Respiratory Care

Lindsey Langner          McNeese State         So. Pearland, Texas 3.88 Health Education

Brandi Crnkovic           Sam Houston State   Sr. Caldwell, Texas 3.25 Caldwell, Texas

Cary Bruno#               Northwestern State    Sr. Pearland, Texas 3.52 Business Administration

Lauren Luetge            Stephen F. Austin      So. New Ulm, Texas 3.63 Kinesiology

Amanda Jameson#     Northwestern State     Sr. Burleson, Texas 3.75 Health & Exercise Science

Ainsley Pellerin           Northwestern State     Jr. Breaux Bridge, La. 3.87 Business Administration

$Student-Athlete of the Year

*First-Team All-Conference

^CoSIDA All-Academic District VI

#Two-time Academic Selection

!Three-time Academic Selection