May 7, 2009
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Senior Ashton Payne earned her second-consecutive spot on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III First Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced on Thursday.
The Richmond, Va., product finished second on the team with a .304 batting average and a .349 on-base percentage. A knee injury cut short her year, ending it after 26 of the Gamecocks’ 45 games. Payne’s two triples still tied for the team lead, while she was perfect in the field during starts in left field and at second base.
Payne becomes the second Gamecock in program history to earn a district spot three-straight seasons, following Ashley Smith, who did it from 2004-2006. She’ll try to join Smith as the second South Carolina player to garner Academic All-America accolades twice. A biology major, Payne adds this to her selection as the South Carolina nominee for the prestigious H. Boyd McWhorter Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, which also earned her a post-graduate scholarship from the league.
To be nominated, athletes must be a sophomore or higher in both athletic and academic standing and carry a 3.30 cumulative grade point average. They must also be a starter or important reserve that have participated in at least 50 percent of the games that season. The voters, made up of all members in a district, weigh both athletic and academic accomplishments.
Top-ranked Florida led all teams with four first-team all-district athletes and six overall.
ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III
First Team – University Division
P – Stephanie Brombacher, So., Florida
P – Stacey Nelson, Sr., Florida
C – Kristina Hilberth, Sr., Florida
IF – Blair Bodenmiller, Gr., Florida Atlantic
IF – Ali Gardiner, Sr., Florida
IF – Whitney Haller, Sr., Georgia Tech
IF – Karlie Love, Sr., Campbell
OF – Lisa Kingsmore, Sr., Winthrop
OF – Jenna Rhodes, Sr., Virginia Tech
OF – Carly Wynn, Jr., Florida State
DP – Ashton Payne, Sr., South Carolina
Second Team – University Division
P – Ashley Fredrick, Jr., Coastal Carolina
P – Kellie Snooks, So., Radford
C – Catherine Lee, So., Georgia State
IF – Megan Bush, So., Florida
IF – Jessica Johnson, Sr., East Carolina
IF – Andrea Migliori, Sr., Stetson
IF – Michelle Snyder, Sr., Florida State
OF – Kelsey Bruder, So., Florida
OF – Taylor Schlopy, So., Georgia
OF – Blair Shimandle, Sr., Georgia Tech
DP – Abby McClain, So., UCF
