May 31, 2006

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The College Sports Information Director’s of America (CoSIDA) released its 2006 Softball ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team Wednesday, and South Carolina’s Ashley Smith was named first team. With this honor, Smith is the fourth Gamecock softball player to ever earn first team honors, and the second student-athlete so far this academic year to be named an Academic All-American. In the fall, women’s soccer player, Kimmy Criss earned third team honors. Smith has landed on the Academic All-America team for three consecutive years. As a sophomore, she was named second team and as a junior, she was named third team.

The Portage, Mich. native has a 4.0 GPA in civil engineering and led the Gamecocks in SEC action with a .286 batting average. Smith led the Gamecocks in RBI with 12 and in hits with 20. She is also a three-time SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, in addition to being named USC’s Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Smith is the only player on the first team with a 4.0 GPA, and she is one of four SEC players named.

The senior catcher finished her career tied for fifth on USC’s all-time home run list with 17, and eighth in RBI with 106. Her career batting average is .261 and she played in 208 games.

CoSIDA’s ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team
FIRST TEAM
Catcher
Ashley Smith, SOUTH CAROLINA, Sr., Portage, Mich., 4.0, Civil Engineering
Infield
Lindsay Schutzler, Tennessee, Jr., Monterey, Calif., 3.86, Psychology
Stephanie Hill, LSU, Sr., Harahan, La., 3.89, Political Science and Finance (Double Major)
Elana Meyers, George Washington, Jr., Douglasville, Ga., 3.93, Exercise Science (B.S. awarded in Dec. 2005, currently enrolled in M.S. in Exercise Science)
Andrea Duran, UCLA, Sr., Selma, Calif., 3.50, Sociology
Outfield
Natasha Jacob, FSU, Sr., Coppell, Texas, 3.87, Exercise Science
Lizzy Aumua, Nebraska, Sr., Santa Fe Springs, Calif., 3.88, Sociology
Caitlin White, Seton Hall, Sr., Lincoln University, Pa., 3.96, Biology
Pitcher
Kasi Carroll, Georgia, Jr., Norris City, Ill., 3.83, Early Childhood Education
Grace Lughinbul, Cleveland State, Sr., Lima, Ohio, 3.72, Chemical Engineering
Utility/DH
Meagan Johnson, Coastal Carolina, Sr., Georgetown, S.C., 3.86, History