Cleveland State's Luginbuhl, Thornberry named to CoSIDA Academic All-America Softball Team

June 5, 2006

Cleveland, Ohio - Seniors Grace Luginbuhl and J.J. Thornberry of Cleveland State University both earned a spot on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American Softball teams which were released by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Wednesday. Luginbuhl was a First-Team selection, while Thornberry was a Third-Team honoree.

"Grace and J.J. epitomize what we look for when recruiting student-athletes to our program," CSU head coach Julie Jones said. "They did everything that was asked of them from the day they set foot on our campus four years ago and are truly deserving of such an amazing honor. Their presence, both on and off of the field, will be sorely missed."

Luginbuhl posted a 3.72 grade point average in chemical engineering -- the highest GPA of any student in her program. The Bath, Ohio native was Horizon League's Pitcher of the Year each of the last two seasons, going 23-11 with a 2.17 ERA while striking out 224 batters in 226 innings pitched in 2006. Her victory total was just one shy of Amy Kyler's school season record, while the pair are the only two players in school history to record 200 innings and 200 strikeouts in a season. A three-time first team All-Horizon League selection, Luginbuhl finished her career with 59 victories and 659 strikeouts, both of which rank second in CSU annals. She also put together a .302 average, 30 runs scored, 16 RBI and 20 stolen bases as the Vikings' number two hitter this past season.

Thornberry -- a graphic design major with a 3.98 GPA -- recently received CSU's President's Award, which is presented to the graduating student-athlete with the highest GPA. A New Bloomington, Ohio native, she earned second team All-Horizon League honors at catcher after hitting .281 with seven home runs and 21 RBI. She led the team with a .440 on-base percentage and ranked 18th in the nation with 34 walks.

Luginbuhl and Thornberry are just the sixth and seventh Vikings in all sports to garner Academic All-America honors in the 53-year history of the program, joining Pat Lyons (men's basketball, 1973), Jennifer Webber (fencing, 1992), Amy Jauert (softball, 1997), Joachim Walker (men's soccer, 2002) and Jenna Maddocks (women's volleyball, 2005). Lyons and Jauert are the only previous first-team selections.

The Academic All-America Teams program honors over 800 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, a 2,000-member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 15,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

Cleveland State recently completed its season with a 38-15 overall record while finishing second in the Horizon League with a 14-7 mark. The Vikings set school records for overall and league victories and ranked among the national leaders in winning percentage (.717).

CoSIDA / ESPN the Magazine ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA SOFTBALL TEAMS
University Division

FIRST TEAM
P - Grace Luginbuhl, Cleveland State (Sr., 3.72 GPA, Chemical Engineering)
P - Kasi Carroll, Georgia (Jr., 3.83, Early Childhood Education)
C - Ashley Smith, South Carolina (Sr., 4.00, Civil Engineering)
IF - Lindsay Schutzler, Tennessee (Jr., 3.86, Psychology)
IF - Stephanie Hill, LSU (Sr., 3.89, Political Science and Finance)
IF - Elana Meyers, George Washington (Jr., 3.93, Exercise Science)
IF - Andrea Duran, UCLA (Sr., 3.50, Sociology)
OF - Natasha Jacob, Florida State (Sr., 3.87, Exercise Science)
OF - Lizzy Aumua, Nebraska (Sr., 3.88, Sociology)
OF - Caitlin, White, Seton Hall (Sr., 3.96, Biology)
DH - Meagen Johnson, Coastal Carolina (Sr., 3.86, History)

SECOND TEAM
P - Lindsey LaChiana, Northern Illinois (Sr., 4.00, Accountancy)
P - Angela Tincher, Virginia Tech (So., 3.79, Finance)
C - Amanda Clifton, Southern Illinois (Jr., 3.94, Accounting/Management Information Systems)
IF - Charity Butler, Southern Mississippi (Sr., 4.00, Business)
IF - Joy Gallagher, Wagner (Sr., 3.88, Chemistry)
IF - Brittany Cheney, Maine (Sr., 3.73, Psychology/Communications)
IF - Meghan McCoy, Georgia State (Sr., 3.80, Finance & Honors)
OF - Amy Hromadka, Texas State (Sr., 3.82, Biology)
OF - Autumn Champion, Arizona (Sr., 3.41, Elementary Education)
OF - Stephanie Brown, Notre Dame (Jr., 3.42, Marketing)
UT - Tara Hansen, Fairfield (Sr., 3.87, Mechanical Engineering)

THIRD TEAM
P - Erin Snyder, Princeton (Sr., 3.40, Sociology)
P - Catherine Bishop, Louisville (Jr., 3.43, Biology)
C - J.J. Thornberry, Cleveland State (Sr., 3.98, Graphic Design)
C -- Sara Mason, San Diego (Sr., 3.75, Sociology)
IF - Tricia Lilley, Purdue (Grad., 3.75, Management Graduate Program)
IF - Emily Friedman, California (Sr., 3.60, Integrative Biology)
IF - Garland Cooper, Northwestern (Jr., 3.30, Communication Studies)
IF - Joelle Brunetto, St. Bonaventure (Sr., 3.89, Finance)
OF - Lauren Krieger, St. Bonaventure (Grad., 3.90, Elementary Education / Childhood Literacy)
OF - Tiffany Stewart, South Florida (Sr., 3.72, Psychology)
OF - Krystal Stein, Southern Illinois (So., 4.00, Public Relations)
OF - Lauren Proctor, Massachusetts (Jr., 3.75, Journalism)
OF - Kelly Osburn, Baylor (Sr., 3.54, Health Science Studies)
UT - KoKo Tacha, Nebraska (Sr., 3.96, Business Administration)