POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Junior designated player Gabrielle Kelliher of the Marist softball team was named Second Team Academic All-American, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), on Thursday.
Kelliher is majoring in both Biology and Medical Technology. She was named Second Team National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region, Second Team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and to the MAAC All-Academic Team this season. Kelliher hit .321 with eight home runs, 30 RBIs, and 10 doubles in 2017. Her .415 batting average ranked fifth in the MAAC in conference play. With 28 career home runs, she currently ranks tied for fourth place in program history.
This is the first Academic All-American honor of Kelliher's career. She has been named CoSIDA Academic All-District each of the last two years.
Kelliher is the first Red Fox to earn CoSIDA Academic All-American honors this year. She is the 18th CoSIDA Academic All-American in school history, and the third in the history of the Marist softball program, following Amanda Koldjeski (Second Team, 2001) and Melissa Giordano (Third Team, 2009).
To be eligible for the CoSIDA Academic All-American Team, a student-athlete must earn First Team Academic All-District honors. To be eligible for Academic All-District consideration, a student-athlete must have spent at least two prior semesters at his or her institution, have played in over 50 percent of the team's games, and have a grade-point average of at least 3.30 on a 4.0 scale.
In 2017, the Marist softball team went 37-22 overall and 13-7 in the MAAC. It was the Red Foxes' second-highest single-season win total in program history, and seventh straight winning season under the leadership of head coach Joe Ausanio.
