The No. 1-ranked Emory softball team proved that it has been just as successful off the field as well as on it with five players earning first-team berths on the Capital One Academic All-District Team.  Voting for the Academic All-District team is conducted by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Emory's representatives are District 5 selections from Division III institutions comprised from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Representing the Eagles on the 12-member team are senior Bridget Holloway (Sparta, IL) and sophomores Claire Bailey (Henrico, VA), Megan Light (Atlanta), Sophia Tarte (Tampa, FL) and Lauren Gorodetsky (Palm City, FL).

The honor is awarded annually to student athletes who have excelled both academically and athletically.  To be eligible, a nominee must have reached sophomore academic and athletic standing at his/her current institution, carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.3 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) and be a starter or key reserve.

Holloway, a Women's Studies and History major, claims a 3.63 GPA.  The four-year veteran has been a mainstay of the Eagles' pitching staff, crafting a 2012 won-lost ledger of 17-1 along with an ERA of 1.74 over 112 2/3 innings of action.  A First Team All-University Athletic Association selection, she also garnered a spot on the league's all-tournament team after compiling a 3-0 slate in helping the Eagles to their straight conference crown.  Career-wise, she stands second on the school's all-time list in both wins (60) and innings pitched (460 2/3). 

Bailey, a Biology major, sports a glittering GPA of 3.97.  A Second Team All-UAA pick, she has started all 36 games and is fourth on the team and 10^th among UAA players in hitting with a .389 average.  She has registered 12 multi-hit games and has knocked in two or more runs on five occasions.  Bailey's 11-game hitting streak (Mar. 14-Apr. 21) is the longest by an Emory player this year and she closed out the regular season hitting safely in 15 of the last 16 contests.

Light has been of the team's top offensive performers with her .400 hitting mark tying her for second on the club and sixth in the UAA.  A First Team All-UAA honoree, Light also was tabbed as the MVP at the league's tournament after hitting .458 and scoring a conference-high 10 runs.  The owner of a 3.94 GPA, she has socked seven home runs, the fourth-highest seasonal mark in school annals, and her team-leading 39 RBIs ties her for the No. 1 spot in the league.

Tarte, who checks in with a 3.45 GPA, paces the team and ranks fifth in the UAA with a .403 batting average.  Named to the UAA All-Tournament Team after hitting .458 over eight games, she has produced seven contests of two or more hits and is third on the team with seven multiple-RBI games.

Gorodetsky, a Second Team All-UAA member, has started all 36 games in center field and is hitting at a .378 clip.  She is third on the team with 31 runs scored and tops the team in triples (3), stolen bases (9) and walks (15). She has totaled seven multi-hit contests and has contributed three multi-RBI games.  Defensively, she has handled all 35 of her chances flawlessly.  In the classroom, Gorodetsky has maintained a 3.80 GPA. 

By virtue of landing first-team recognition, the five Eagles advance to the Capital One Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.