WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Recent West Liberty University graduate Annie Paterson can add yet another line to her already-impressive resume as she leaves the hilltop: NCAA Division II Academic All-American®. The Salem, Ohio standout was a third-team selection at the utility/pitcher spot when the 2021-22 NCAA Division II Academic All-America Softball Team was announced on Tuesday.

Selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the 2021-22 Academic All-America® Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their impressive accomplishments on the field and in the classroom.

Splitting time between pitcher, first base and designated player, Paterson led Coach Herb Minch’s Hilltoppers in nearly every offensive category while putting up big numbers in the pitching circle as WLU rolled to its third straight 30-win season and Mountain East Conference North Division title.

The sweet-swinging southpaw hit a team-high .398 with 64 hits in 161 at-bats, launching 9 home runs and adding 17 doubles. She drove in a team-high 43 runs and scored 36 more while racking up a .671 slugging percentage to go along with a 1.106 OPS. Paterson posted a 7-8 pitching record along with a pair of saves, ranking among the MEC's Top 5 in Strikeouts (154) and ERA (2.53) and Top 10 in Opposing Batting Average (.227) and Innings Pitched (130.0).

Her classroom accomplishments were just as impressive. She graduated in May with a Bachelor’s Degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology after maintaining a 3.70 GPA throughout her collegiate career.

The Hilltopper softball star is West Liberty's second NCAA Division II Academic All-American® of the 2021-22 academic year, joining 2021-22 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Academic All-American® of the Year Audrey Tingle on the illustrious honor roll.

The West Liberty athletic department has produced at least one NCAA Division II Academic All-American® in each of the last 10 years and leads all MEC schools with a total of 23 Academic All-America® Awards since making the transition to NCAA Division II membership during the mid-1990s.

SOFTBALL

CoSIDA 2022 ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® TEAM

NCAA Division II

FIRST TEAM

Pos Player School GPA Yr Academic Major

P Liz Pautz Winona State 4.00 Sr. Biology

P Amanda Weyh Lindenwood 4.00 Jr. Elementary Education

C Gracey Brink Augustana 3.95 Jr. Exercise Science

IF Danielle Dennis Illinois-Springfield 4.00 Sr. Exercise Science

IF Hannah Marsteller Shippensburg 3.56 Sr. Biology (Pre-Veterinary)

IF Tymber Riley Arkansas Tech 3.84 Gr. Rehabilitation Science (G)

IF Calli Wibbenmeyer Rockhurst 3.94 Gr. Elementary Education (UG)/Education (G)

OF Anna Alloway Tusculum 3.98/4.00 Gr. Elementary Education (UG)/Education (G)

OF Keelah Griffth Pittsburg State 4.00 Sr. Recreation Services, Sport & Hospitality Mgmt.

OF Brylynn Vallejos San Francisco State 3.79 Sr. Kinesiology

P/UT Ellie Smith Colorado Mesa 3.42 Sr. Nursing

SECOND TEAM

Pos Player School GPA Yr Academic Major

P Harlie Duncan Anderson 4.00/4.00 Gr. Biochemistry (UG)

P Hannah Hudson W.Va. Wesleyan 3.94/4.00 Gr. Exercise Science (UG)/Athletic Training (G)

C Ally Distler Colorado Mesa 4.00 So. Psychology

IF Lydia Goble Grand Valley State 3.50 Sr. Sport Management

IF Ashlyn Lerma Angelo State 3.94 Sr. Finance

IF Haley McFarlane St. Cloud State 3.60/4.00 Gr. Kinesiology (UG)/Sport Management (G)

IF Ashtyn Patterson Francis Marion 4.00 Sr. Art Education & Psychology

IF Paxton Scheurer Angelo State 3.77/4.00 Gr. Industrial Organization Psychology

OF Clara Heislen Concordia-St. Paul 3.98 Sr. 5-12 Health & K-12 Physical Ed

OF Paige Kortz Ferris State 3.96 Sr. Accountancy/Finance

OF Ruby Salzman West Texas A&M 3.55 Sr. Healthcare Management

P/UT Caitlyn Wells Arkansas Tech 3.78 So. Health & Physical Education

THIRD TEAM

Pos Player School GPA Yr Academic Major

P Hannah Beatus Grand Valley State 3.48 Gr. Marketing

P Ashley Mickschl Augustana 3.73/4.00 Gr. Education & Spanish (UG)/Education (G)

C Madison Fry Mercyhurst 4.00 Jr. Special Education & Early Childhood Education

IF Kaileen Cain Bentley 3.93/3.88 Gr. MBA (G)

IF Nicole Purtell Shepherd 3.88 Sr. Business Administration & Sociology

IF Madison Schaefer Texas A&M-Commerce 3.90 Jr. Finance

IF Delaney Young Augustana 3.66 Sr. Sign Language Interpreting

OF Savannah Moorefield Lenoir-Rhyne 3.90/3.92 Gr. Exercise Science (UG)/Public Health (G)

OF Jenna Osikowicz Seton Hill 3.55/3.90 Gr. Marketing & Human Resources (UG)/MBA (G)

OF Savannah Wysocki Lubbock Christian 3.94 Sr. Pre-Medicine

P/UT ANNIE PATERSON WEST LIBERTY 3.70 SR. EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY

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