Quintet Of Cobbers Named CSC Academic All-District

MOORHEAD, Minn. (5/28/24)---Concordia had five players named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District Team.

Juniors Emma Bowman (Morris, Minn.), Kailee Falconer (Sartell, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral HS) and Danielle Lyon (St. Joseph, Minn./Holdingford HS) and sophomores Mallory Leitner (Dilworth, Minn./Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton HS) and Lauren Staples (Hibbing, Minn./Cherry HS) all received the academic honor.

Bowman, Falconer, Lyon and Staples earned their first CSC Academic All-District award, while Leitner received her second as she also won the honor for volleyball last fall.

The 2024 Academic All-District softball teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes softball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

In order to be eligible for the accolade, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically and must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.50.  Position players must have competed in at least 90 percent of team games played or have started at least 66 percent of the total number of team games played. For pitchers, players must pitch 25-plus innings or appear in 17 games as a pitcher.

Bowman, the team's starting shortstop, played in 37 games, was third on the team in RBI and fourth in total bases. She also had a solid .924 fielding percentage after handling 158 chances on defense. Bowman is a Business Management major and carries a 3.76 GPA.

Falconer receives Academic All-District honors a week after being named to the MIAC All-Conference Team. She led the Cobbers in hitting with a .384 average. She played in 36 games and also led the team in TBI, total bases, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Falconer has a 3.76 GPA and is majoring in Communications with a minor in Art & Design.

Lyon is a Healthcare Administration major and has a 3.79 GPA. She started 25 games at third base and played in 30 total games for Concordia. Lyon hit .254 and was in the Top 5 of the team in RBI, total bases and slugging percentage.

Leitner and Staples anchored the Cobber pitching staff.

Leitner appeared in 20 games for the Cobbers and amassed 80.0 innings. She finished with a 5.25 earned run average and led the team with 42 strikeouts. Leitner is an Exercise Science major and has a 3.97 GPA.

Staples posted career-best numbers in ERA, innings pitched and WHIP (walks and hits divided by innings pitched) She led CC with a 4.65 ERA in 17 appearances and 40.2 innings pitched. Staples fanned 19 batters on the year and posted a 2.04 WHIP. She carries a 3.88 GPA while majoring in Nursing.

The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2022-23 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA governance structure.