Belles Earn Easton/NFCA Top Ten Academic Team Honor

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Saint Mary's softball team had the seventh-highest cumulative grade point average among NCAA Division III programs for the 2017-18 academic year. The performance by the team in the classroom gave the Belles program their second consecutive Easton/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 10 Academic Team honor.

The NFCA recognizes the academic excellence of softball teams across seven membership divisions - NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III; NAIA; Junior College; High School (unweighted); and High School (weighted).

The Belles posted a 3.611 cumulative GPA for the 2017-18 academic year to garner the honor at the Division III level. It is the second such honor for the program as last year's team boasted a 3.633 for the fifth-highest Division III GPA.

"This recognition speaks volumes about the success of our student-athletes in the classroom," said head coach Kelli Zache Martin. "I could not be more proud of our players because they constantly challenge themselves athletically and academically. This shows our student-athletes do not have to limit their focus - they can be multifaceted and have a full experience both in the classroom and on the softball field."

NCAA Division III Easton/NFCA Top 10 Academic Team Honorees:
1. Otterbein University - 3.751
2. Johnson & Wales University - 3.720
3. Penn State Brandywine - 3.680
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology - 3.670
5. Stevens Institute of Technology - 3.633
6. Endicott College - 3.615
7. Saint Mary's College (Ind.) - 3.611
8. Nebraska Wesleyan University - 3.610
9. Bethel University (Minn.) - 3.606
T10. Suffolk University - 3.596
T10. Ithaca College - 3.596