PORTLAND, Ore. – Concordia University and The College of Idaho each had two players and Northwest Christian University one player selected to CoSIDA Academic All-District teams for baseball and softball, as announced on Thursday.
The Cavaliers were represented in District 8 by senior infielder Mike Dickman and junior catcher Kyndell Andrews. Dickman, already an NAIA Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-CCC honoree, earned the honor after posting a 3.94 GPA in Business at Concordia, while also logging 132 career starts in the infield for the Cavaliers.
Injuries have limited Dickman's production in 2012, but the senior had started over 80 percent of games in his first three seasons at Concordia. Dickman has still played an important role in 2012 too though, as he has advanced base runners 58.8 percent of the time he comes to plate this season.
Dickman has also served as a model for the University in his time at Concordia, as the senior was picked by the University as one of three nominees for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship in the fall.
Andrews earned her selection as a starter in 43 of the Cavs' 44 games so far this season, while also totaling a 3.39 grade-point average in chemistry at Concordia. As her numbers indicate, Andrews has been a steady presence in the lineup for the Cavs this season. Andrews leads the team with eight home runs and 81 total bases this season, while she also ranks in the top of the CCC in batting average (.363), slugging percentage (.600), hits (49), and hit-by-pitches (8).
The Beacons were represented on the All-District 8 Softball team by Brooke Davis (Sherwood, Ore.) NCU’s Female Scholar Athlete of the Year for the past two seasons and an inductee into Chi Alpha Sigma, the national Scholar-Athlete Honor Society, Davis is an Accounting and Math double-major with a 3.98 GPA. A two-time All-CCC selection, Davis will go down as one of the top players in NCU history. She is the Beacons all-time leader for wins and ranks second with 20 career homers.
For the Coyotes, senior Shortstop Tanner Hodges and junior first-baseman Jesse Dodd were among the 12 players honored in the College Division of District 7, encompassing schools from Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Hodges is a Biology major with a 3.59 GPA while Dodd holds a 3.89 GPA in Mathematics.
As First-Team Academic All-District honorees, the five athletes will advance to the Capitol One Academic All-America Team ballot. The Academic All-America team for softball will be announced on May 21st with the baseball All-America team following on May 29th.
The 2011-2012 Capitol One Academic All-America program, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performance on the field and in the classroom. The All-District teams are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada. First-Team Academic All-District honorees advance to the Capitol One Academic All-America Team ballot.
Players were selected to the All-District team based on their achievements on the field as well as in the classroom. Players had to maintain at least a 3.30 GPA to be eligible, while also being at least a sophomore academically at their respective institution.