Hilltoppers’ Donzella is NCAA D2 Academic All-American
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – West Liberty University senior catcher Kat Donzella is the latest Hilltopper to earn NCAA Division II Academic All-America® honors for the 2020-21 academic year. The Wheeling, W.Va. native was a first-team selection when the 2021 Academic All-America® Softball Team was announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the 2021 Academic All-America® Teams recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their impressive accomplishments on the field and in the classroom.
Donzella put together one of the best seasons in West Liberty softball history in leading WLU to its second straight Mountain East Conference title and NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament berth.
The MEC Player of the Year was an NFCA All-American and All-Region selection after putting up some astronomical numbers. Donzella finished the season ranked among the Top 5 nationally in total hits, total bases, and doubles after leading the MEC in hits, runs, doubles, extra-base hits, total bases, batting average, on-base average, and slugging percentage.
Her academic accomplishments were even more impressive. Off the field, Donzella was the banner carrier at Commencement for the College of Liberal Arts after graduating with the highest GPA in the College. Now pursuing a graduate degree in Criminology on the hilltop, Donzella has maintained a perfect 4.00 GPA.
Donzella is West Liberty’s third NCAA Division II Academic All-American® of the 2020-21 academic year, joining 2021 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball National Academic All-American® of the Year Dalton Bolon and NCAA Division II Football Academic All-American® Clay McDonald.
The Hilltopper athletic department has produced at least one Academic All-American® in each of the last nine years and earned a total of 19 Academic All-America Awards since transitioning to NCAA Division II membership during the mid-1990s.
SOFTBALL
CoSIDA 2021 Academic All-America Team
NCAA Division II
FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School GPA Yr. Major
P Laken Chambers North Georgia 4.00 Sr. Middle Grades Education
P Hallie Waters Indianapolis 3.99 Sr. Biology/Psychology
C KAT DONZELLA WEST LIBERTY 3.72/4.00 GR. CRIMINOLOGY (G)
IF Kaitlyn Beers Indiana (Pa.) 3.80/3.66 Gr. Criminology
IF Jessi Case Regis 3.88 Jr. Business Administration
IF Bri Garber West Chester 3.88 Sr. Accounting/Finance
IF Logan Hill Valdosta State 3.97 Sr. Interdisciplinary Studies
IF Hannah Marsteller Shippensburg 3.67 Jr. Biology (Pre-Veterinary)
OF Kendall Cornick* Augustana 3.94 Sr. Biology & Psychology
OF Morgan Hill Valdosta State 3.94 So. Health Sciences
OF Ruby Salzman West Texas A&M 3.55 So. Health Sciences
DP Alison Nowak Winona State 3.96 Sr. Physical Education/Health Promotion
*-CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year
SECOND TEAM
Pos. Name School GPA Yr. Major
P Jordan Kleman Winona State 3.84 Sr. Secondary Math Education
P Ashley Mickschl Augustana 3.73 Sr. Education/Spanish
P Alyssa Muller Adelphi 3.98 Sr. Psychology
C Bailey Byers Malone 3.55 Sr. Exercise Science
IF Talon LaClair Lenoir-Rhyne 4.00 Sr. Mathematics
IF Nicole Purtell Shepherd 3.90 Jr. Business Administration/Sociology
IF Kiley Robb Valdosta State 3.91 Sr. Health Sciences
IF Sarah Staudle Colorado Mesa 3.92/3.87 Gr. Sport Management
OF Anna Alloway Tusculum 3.98 Sr. Elementary Education
OF Sydney Goertzen Catawba 4.00 Sr. Biology
OF Taylor Shingler Maryville 3.94 Jr. Sports Business Management
DP Ellie Smith Colorado Mesa 3.55 Jr. Exercise Science
THIRD TEAM
Pos.NameSchoolYr.GPAMajor
P Abbey Busby Palm Beach Atlantic 3.96 Sr. Exercise Science
C KaraLynne Levi Carson-Newman 3.91/4.00 Gr. Education (UG)/Elementary Education (G)
IF Molly Cobb Auburn-Montgomery 4.00 So. Elementary Education
IF Nikoma Holmen Grand Valley State 3.41 Sr. Finance
IF Clara Larson Colorado School of Mines 3.67/3.55 Gr. Computer Science (G)
OF Taylor Checkley Barry 4.00 Sr. Pre-Professional Biology (Pre-Med)
OF Brooke Henning Grand Valley State 4.00 Sr. Biomedical Science
OF Kaira Ramon Bridgeport 3.61 Sr. Computer Engineering
DP Kaity Stocker Gannon 3.84 Sr. Criminal Justice