Sports News: Winter 2004-05

Thursday, December 16, 2004

GREYHOUND SOFTBALL TEAM NAMED ONE OF 65 NFCA DIVISION III
ALL-ACADEMIC TEAMS FOR 2003-04

STARKVILLE, MS --- The Moravian College softball team is one of 65 NCAA Division III schools that achieved a spot on the 2003-04 National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Academic Team listing announced by the NFCA.

The listing is based on cumulative team grade-point averages submitted by NFCA member coaches. All 65 NCAA Division III schools had a GPA over 2.948 with Drew University achieving the highest team GPA at 3.604.

The Greyhounds, with a team GPA of 3.310, had the 24th highest GPA, and Moravian was one of eight schools from the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation to make the list. Drew was first followed by Messiah College at sixth, FDU-Florham at 21st, Moravian, Lebanon Valley College at 40th, Wilkes University at 54th, King’s College at 58th and Lebanon Valley College at 65th. Muhlenberg College was also on the list, ranked 28th.

Moravian, under the direction of head coach John Byrne, posted a 40-6 record last spring and won the squad’s fifth consecutive Commonwealth Conference Championship and the program’s seventh straight NCAA Division III Tournament berth. The Greyhounds won their first-ever NCAA Regional Championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III World Series were the team finished the year as the national runner-up to St. Thomas.

Six Moravian players, Heather Bortz, Janelle Brey, Krissy Cianfichi, Rebecca DeJulio, Jenn Hastings and LeeAnna Roberts, were among the over 2,700 student-athletes honors by the NFCA as Scholar-Athletes for maintaining over a 3.5 grade-point average last season.

The Greyhounds are set to return ten players this spring and will begin action on Friday, March 4th, 2005 at the Virginia Wesleyan College Challenge in Virginia Beach, Virginia.