Skip to main content
Partner logo
Mobile Icon Link Mobile Icon Link Mobile Icon Link Gamecocks+

May 28, 2008

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Junior Ashton Payne became the fifth South Carolina softball player to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors, as she garnered selection as a second-team outfielder according the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) today.

Payne served as the Gamecocks’ leadoff hitter for most of 2008, hitting .348 with seven doubles and six triples, all tops on the team. Her 23 runs scored and 55 hits also led the way, while she ranked second in on-base percentage (.372) and slugging percentage (.468). The Richmond, Va., product compiled an 18-game hitting streak earlier in the season, the third-longest documented streak in South Carolina history. The junior majors in biology.

Payne is the first Carolina Gamecock player to make this elite list since 2006, when Ashley Smith received her third consecutive award. Marianne DiRupo (1989), Kelly Grother (1989) and Kim Pietro (1999) are also previous CoSIDA Academic All-Americans from South Carolina. For Payne, it brings her haul for the year to four awards, as she was previously named to the SEC Softball Community Service Team, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-South Region second team and the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III first team.

The Southeastern Conference paced all leagues with six members on the three teams. Tennessee had two players selected, one each on the first and second teams, while Mississippi State, Alabama and Florida joined South Carolina with one player. Virginia Tech senior pitcher Angela Tincher was named the Academic All-American of the Year in the university division.

ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America as selected by CoSIDA
2008 Softball University Division

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown
P Angela Tincher Virginia Tech Sr. Eagle Rock, Va.
P Stacey Nelson Florida Jr. Los Alamitos, Calif.
C Chelsea Bramlett Mississippi State So. Cordova, Tenn.
IF Jessica Chrabaszcz Delaware State Sr. Johnston, R.I.
IF Jessica Toocheck Kent State Sr. Medina, Ohio
IF Colleen McGlaughlin Iowa Jr. Morton, Ill.
IF Sara Dyer Tulsa Sr. Sand Springs, Okla.
OF Lisa Kingsmore Winthrop Jr. Brampton, Ontario
OF Lillian Hammond Tennessee Jr. Chattanooga, Tenn.
OF Amber Maisonet Albany Sr. Newburgh, N.Y.
DP Mary Beth Puccio Fordham Jr. Brightwaters, N.Y.
SECOND TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown
P Megan Rhodes Tennessee Sr. Nashville, Tenn.
P Tara Oltman Creighton So. Cortland, Neb.
C Laura Matthews Dayton Sr. Nashville, Tenn.
IF Stephanie Fischer Tennessee Tech Sr. Stevens Point, Wis.
IF Brianna Bricker St. Bonaventure Sr. Albion, Pa.
IF Beth Boden Tennessee Tech Sr. Plover, Wis.
IF Valerie Chapple Kansas Jr. Overland Park, Kan.
OF Jackie Vasquez Arizona State Sr. Tucson, Ariz.
OF Kaitlin Cochran Arizona State Jr. Yorba Linda, Calif.
OF Ashton Payne South Carolina Jr. Richmond, Va.
DP Aimee Enzler North Dakota State Sr. Wayzata, Minn.
THIRD TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown
P Michelle Moses Brown Jr. Cooper City, Fla.
P Molly Hill Nebraska Jr. Wayne, Neb.
P Lisa Sweeney Lehigh Jr. Lumberton, N.J.
P Hayley Wiemer Bowling Green State Jr. Sylvania, Ohio
C Jessica DePippo Long Island Gr. Westlake Village, Calif.
IF Allison Vallas Bowling Green State Sr. Perrysburg, Ohio
IF Katie Miranto Canisius Sr. North Tonawanda, N.Y.
IF Charlotte Morgan Alabama So. Moreno Valley, Calif.
IF Whitney Haller Georgia Tech Jr. Marietta, Ga.
OF Krystal Stein Southern Illinois Sr. Nashville, Ill.
OF Brooke Lockhart Southeastern Louisiana Sr. Christchurch, New Zealand
OF Alessandra Giampaolo Michigan Sr. Pasadena, Calif.
DP Kat Krause Loyola (Ill.) Sr. Arlington Heights, Ill.