HAMMOND – A standout on the field and in the classroom, Southeastern Louisiana sophomore second baseman Megan McCollum was named to the 2012 Southland Conference Softball All-Academic Teams, which were announced by the league office on Thursday.
 
McCollum, who hails from Lafayette, earned Southland All-Academic honors as a second team selection. The kinesiology major carried a 3.55 cumulative grade point average heading into the spring semester.
 
The honor was the second postseason honor for McCollum, who developed into the team's top hitter on the way to earning honorable mention All-Southland Conference accolades. Starting all 49 games, she led the team with a .319 batting average, 22 runs scored and a .406 on-base percentage, while ranking seventh in the league with 10 doubles.
 
McCollum also teamed with sophomore shortstop Kayla Elswick to form an efficient middle infield. In 196 chances, she committed just eight errors for a .959 fielding percentage.
 
First team All-Southland sophomore shortstop Molly Fichtner of UTSA was named the league's Softball Student-Athlete of the Year. The Houston, Texas native has a 3.93 GPA in kinesiology.
 
Established in the 2002-03 academic year, the conference honors one student-athlete from each of the 17 championship sports who achieves excellence in academics, athletics and community/campus service.
 
The student-athlete of the year, selected by the league's awards committee, will have attained athletics achievement for at least two years at the nominating institution, possess at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and demonstrated extracurricular service at her campus and or community.
 
The all-academic teams are voted on by the head coaches, sports information directors and academic/compliance administrators from each Southland university. Student-athletes must possess a 3.0 cumulative GPA, have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution and participated in at least 50 percent of the team's competition to qualify for the all-academic squad.
 
2012 Southland Conference Softball All-Academic Teams

First Team
Name – University – Class – Hometown – GPA – Major/Minor
Molly Fichtner – UTSA – So. – Houston, Texas – 3.93 – Kinesiology
Nicole Beals – Central Arkansas – Sr. – Phoenix, Ariz. – 3.68 – History
Melissa Bryant – Central Arkansas – Jr. – Hernando, Miss. – 3.71 – Nursing
Alanna DiVittorio – McNeese State – So. – Harahan, La. – 3.91 – Civil Engineering
Tori Benavidez – Sam Houston State – Jr. – Midlothian, Texas – 3.46 – Business Admin./Kinesiology
Elizabeth Arana – Stephen F. Austin – So. – The Woodlands, Texas – 4.00 – Kinesiology
Chandler Hall – Texas State – Sr. – Baytown, Texas – 3.14 – Fashion Merchandising/Business Admin.
Ashley Ray – Nicholls State – Sr. – Lafayette, La. – 3.36 – General Studies
Anne Marie Taylor – Texas State – Jr. – Houston, Texas – 3.26 – Interdisciplinary Studies
Brooke Baker – Texas State – Jr. – Houston, Texas – 3.53 – Interdisciplinary Studies
Hannah Schwarz – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – Sr. – Kerrville, Texas - 3.99 – Interdisciplinary Stud.
Courtney Zink – UT Arlington – Sr. – Highlands, Texas – 4.00 – Kinesiology
 
Second Team
Name – University – Class – Hometown – GPA – Major/Minor
Anna Hernandez – Texas State – Jr. – Buda, Texas – 3.36 – Exercise and Sports Science
Tara McKenney – Northwestern State – So. – Red Oak, Texas – 3.36 – Communications
Katie McGregor – Central Arkansas – Sr. – Lake Jackson, Texas – 3.85 – Management
Megan McCollum – Southeastern Louisiana – So. – Lafayette, La. – 3.55 – Kinesiology
Kelee Grimes – Northwestern State – Sr. – Pineville, La. – 3.82 – Business Administration
Katie Roux – McNeese State – So. – Denham Springs, La. – 4.00 – Health and Human Performance
Sarah Allison – Sam Houston State – So. – College Station, Texas – 3.56 – Kinesiology/Management
Melanie Bryant – Central Arkansas – Jr. – Hernando, Miss. – 3.52 – Nursing
Greta Cecchetti – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – Jr. – Bollate, Italy – 3.18 – Psychology
Marissa Koetting – McNeese State – Jr. – Ferris, Texas – 3.53 – Biology
Allysa Coggins – Sam Houston State – So. – Sealy, Texas – 3.72 – Business Administration/Marketing
Tomi Garrison – Sam Houston State – Sr. – Garland, Texas – 3.40 – Psychology/Health
 
Student-Athlete of the Year: Molly Fichtner, UTSA