SHSU’s Megan McDonald Tabbed Southland Softball Student-Athlete of the Year
FRISCO, Texas – Sam Houston State’s Megan McDonald is the 2020 Southland Conference Softball Student-Athlete of the Year, the league announced Wednesday. The announcement comes along with the release of the academic all-conference teams. All yearly awards are presented by
GEICO.
McDonald captures the honor after an impressive abbreviated 2020 season where she played and started in all 26 of the Bearkats’ contests. The Georgetown, Texas, native was named a preseason all-conference selection prior to the start of her senior campaign. Before the season was cut short, McDonald notched 15 RBI, 35 hits, 40 total bases and a team-leading .398 batting average. After a one-week stretch where she recorded five multi-hit games, she was named the Southland Hitter of the Week (March 3). She was also a key component on the defensive side for the Kats, registering 49 putouts from the centerfield position. Although she was a senior athletically, McDonald closed out her first year of graduate school during the 2019-20 academic year, achieving a 4.0 GPA in her public administration program.
In total, 11 institutions were represented among the 2020 Southland Academic All-Conference teams with Central Arkansas leading the way with four selections. Lamar, McNeese and Sam Houston State came in next, accounting for a trio of honorees each. Houston Baptist, Nicholls, Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin nabbed two spots apiece, while Abilene Christian, UIW and Southeastern Louisiana rounded out the rosters with one representative each.
Lamar senior Jade Lewis was the lone automatic qualifier to the Southland squad after being named a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District honoree. Sam Houston State’s Tiffany Thompson earned second-team honors, marking her third-career appearance on the all-academic roster. There was a total of seven repeat selections among the first and second teams, five of which garnered first-team distinctions.
The All-Academic teams are voted on by head coaches, sports information directors and academic/compliance staff members from each Southland Conference institution. Student-athletes must possess a 3.0 cumulative GPA, have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution to qualify for All-Academic selection, excluding pitchers. Nominees who were also named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District team are automatically named Southland All-Academic honorees.
The Southland Conference awards committee, which consists of one administrator from each of the 13 member schools, votes for the Student-Athlete of the Year. The Southland Student-Athlete of the Year award is presented to one student-athlete who achieves excellence in both academics and athletics. All nominees must have earned at least a 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale and demonstrated athletics achievement for at least two years at the nominating institution.
2020 Softball Student-Athlete of the Year: Megan McDonald, Sam Houston State
2020 Southland Conference Softball All-Academic Teams
| First Team |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown |
GPA |
Major |
| Samantha Bradley 2 |
Abilene Christian |
R-Jr. |
Azle, Texas |
3.86 |
Mathematics |
| Reagan Sperling |
Central Arkansas |
Jr. |
Sherwood, Ark. |
3.85 |
Education |
| Tylar Vernon |
Central Arkansas |
So. |
Pangburn, Ark. |
4.0 |
Family and Consumer Science |
| Caitlyn Brockway |
Houston Baptist |
So. |
Tomball, Texas |
3.58 |
Psychology |
| Jade Lewis # |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Mont Belvieu, Texas |
4.0 |
Exercise Science |
| Alayis Seneca |
McNeese |
So. |
The Woodlands, Texas |
4.0 |
H&HPE (Sports and Wellness) |
| Kennedy Hebert |
Nicholls |
So. |
Morgan City, La. |
4.0 |
Accounting |
| Elise Vincent 2 |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
Maurice, La. |
3.93 |
Biology |
| Kaitlyn St. Clair 2 |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
Cypress, Texas |
4.0 |
Psychology |
| Megan McDonald ^, 2 |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Georgetown, Texas |
3.80 |
Public Administration |
| Madisen Blackford 2 |
Southeastern La. |
Jr. |
Des Moines, Iowa |
3.67 |
Accounting |
| Ashley Kriesel |
Stephen F. Austin |
Sr. |
Houston, Texas |
3.28 |
Health Science |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Second Team |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown |
GPA |
Major |
| Kayla Crutchmer |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Tulsa, Okla. |
3.12 |
Education |
| Jordan Johnson |
Central Arkansas |
So. |
Paola, Kan. |
3.86 |
Undeclared |
| Heidi Jaquez |
Houston Baptist |
Sr. |
Wharton, Texas |
3.83 |
Wellness Management |
| Renee Hoffman |
UIW |
So. |
Clinton, Mich. |
3.83 |
Biochemistry |
| Shannon Klaus 2 |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Cedar Creek, Texas |
3.71 |
Exercise Science |
| Mackenzie Savage |
Lamar |
So. |
Alvin, Texas |
4.0 |
Biology |
| Lauren Brown |
McNeese |
Gr. |
Denham Springs, La. |
4.0 |
Political Science/Criminal Justice |
| Cori McCrary |
McNeese |
Sr. |
McCarley, Miss. |
3.38 |
General Studies |
| Allie Amerson |
Nicholls |
So. |
Springfield, La. |
3.92 |
Biology Pre-Med/Pre-Dentistry |
| Tiffany Thompson 3 |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Montgomery, Texas |
3.82 |
Public Health: Pre-Nursing |
| Bailey White |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Burleson, Texas |
3.97 |
General Business |
| Marisa Arriaga |
Stephen F. Austin |
Jr. |
Cedar Hill, Texas |
3.75 |
Biology |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
^ - 2020 Southland Softball Student-Athlete of the Year
2 - Two-time All-Academic selection
3 - Three-time All-Academic selection
# - CoSIDA Academic All-District