Croxford Named To Academic All-District Team
The standout senior outfielder is named to the <i>ESPN The Magazine</i>/CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII Softball Team for her efforts on the field and in the classroom
FOREST GROVE - A standout 2009 season and an impressive career for Kristen Croxford (Sr., Klamath Falls, Ore.), both on the field and in the classroom, has earned the senior selection to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII Softball Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Croxford was one of two Northwest Conference players selected to the team and is the fifth Pacific softball player in the last six years honored by the program, which recognizes those who have achieved excellence both on the playing field and in the academic arena.
"Kristen exemplifies what a true student-athlete should be," said Pacific Head Softball Coach Tim Hill. "She has taken full advantage of all her academic and athletic opportunities while at Pacific. Receiving this award pretty much sums up all she has accomplished - on and off the field - the past four years."
Croxford maintains a 3.43 grade point average while majoring in exercise science, with an emphasis in integrated physiology, and minors in biology and physics. She presented her senior project, "A Comparison Of Peak Forces Associated With Six Common Martial Arts Striking Techniques," at a northwest regional science conference. It will be presented again at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Conference, later this month in Seattle.
Croxford will begin work on her master's degree in exercise science this fall at Montana State University, where she has accepted a graduate assistantship.
In addition to her work in the classroom, Croxford is finishing a two-year term as the undergraduate representative on Pacific University's Board of Trustees.
On the field, Croxford will go down as one of the top outfielders in Pacific softball history. Recently named to her third All-Northwest Conference Softball First Team and fourth All-NWC team overall, Croxford led Pacific in hitting for the third time in four years, finishing fifth in the conference with a .427 average and led a Boxers' program that ranked 33rd nationally in hitting.
She led the team with 50 hits, 10 doubles and four triples, which tied the Pacific single season record. She was twice named NWC Softball Student-Athlete of the Week and at one point was ranked in the top-20 nationally in batting average. She finishes having started every possible game of her Pacific career; a total of 155 consecutive starts, and will leave with Pacific single season records in hits (52) and runs (39) and tied for the single season record for doubles (16).
In addition to this year's honor, Croxford was named as a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athlete in 2008 and was also named that same year to the NFCA All-West Region Second Team.
With her selection to the All-District VIII Team, Croxford is now eligible to be selected to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America Softball Team, which will be released later in May.
To be eligible for the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be of sophomore standing or better, a starter or important reserve on their team, have played in at least 50 percent of their team's contests and maintain a minimum 3.30 cumulative grade point average.
Posted by Blake Timm (timmbr@pacificu.edu) on May 8, 2009 at 11:13 AM
