May 9, 2008

Dayton Flyers Laura Matthews and Erin Lafayette were honored as ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Softball selections following voting from members of the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Matthews tallied a First Team selection as a catcher, while LaFayette picked up a Third Team spot as a pitcher from District IV.

Matthews, a Sport Management major with a 3.8 cumulative grade point average, made the Dean's List at UD for eight consecutive semesters. On the field Matthews enjoyed a banner year garnering the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week award and posted career highs in hits, runs batted in, extra base hit, doubles, triples and walks. Defensively, she committed just one error from the catcher's position and threw out a career-best 16 runners.

LaFayette set numerous career bests including wins (10), strikeouts (112) and innings pitched (178). In 39 appearances this season, LaFayette collected 4.4 strikes per seven innings and allowed 3.07 walks in seven innings as well. LaFayette, a Finance major with a 3.8 cumulative grade point average, was a nominee for the 2008 Presidential Scholarship Award and reached the Dean's List for eight consecutive semesters.

Earlier this week LaFayette and Matthews were selected to the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference team for their abilities in the classroom and on the field. The two selections were the most of any A-10 member.

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) selects Academic All-America teams in 12 programs: football, women's volleyball, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's track & field/cross country, women's track & field/cross country, men's at-large and women's at-large.

To be nominated, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for his/her career.

No athlete is eligible until he/she has reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution (thus, true freshmen, red-shirt freshmen and ineligible transfers are not eligible). In the cases of transfers, graduate students and junior college graduates, the athlete must have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution to be eligible.