COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Tech softball team had 13 players selected as 2012 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athletes, the most by any school in the Ohio Valley Conference.

The award is bestowed upon any player submitted by a member coach who achieved a 3.50 grade point average or higher during the 2011-12 academic year.  The honor marks the second component of the Association's academic award program.  Back in late October, the squads with the highest GPAs in each membership category were recognized as 2012 NFCA Top Ten All-Academic Teams. Tech ranked fifth in the nation on that list.

Golden Eagles on last year's team who were named Scholar-Athletes include Brooke Basten, Hannah Eldridge, Samantha Everett, Kayla Floyd, Kaleigh Gates, Claudia Harke, Taylor Ketchum, Angi Sakamoto, Callie Schmidt, Tyler Templet, Holly Thomas, Mekenzie Weems, and Emma Woo.

The Ohio Valley Conference had a total of 67 players named from nine of the league's schools. Following Tech's 13 players was Eastern Illinois with 12. Morehead State and Murray State had eight players apiece, followed by Jacksonville State with seven, Southeast Missouri and Tennessee State with six each, UT Martin with five, and SIU Edwardsville with two. Belmont, which joins the OVC this season in softball, had nine players on the list.

The NFCA named All-America Scholar-Athletes in seven different categories. The membership category with the most participating institutions this year proved to be Division I with 140, while Division III was second by boasting 134 teams and high school ranked third with 123.

For a complete listing of 2011-12 Division I All-America Scholar Athletes, please click here.
For a complete listing of 2011-12 Division II All-America Scholar Athletes, please click here.
For a complete listing of 2011-12 Division III All-America Scholar Athletes, please click here.
For a complete listing of 2011-12 NAIA All-America Scholar Athletes, please click here.
For a complete listing of 2011-12 NJCAA Division I, II & III and NWAACC All-America Scholar Athletes, please click here.
For a complete listing of 2011-12 Cal JC All-America Scholar Athletes, please click here.
For a complete listing of 2011-12 High School All-America Scholar Athletes, please click here