May 26, 2009

BOSTON - Seniors Christy Leath and Nora Militz have been named to the 2009 America East Softball All-Academic team, as was announced by the conference office Tuesday afternoon. The all-academic team consists of 10 student-athletes from around the league that earned a 3.30 GPA or higher and were starters or important reserves for their respective teams.

Leath, a co-captain and the Terriers' starting catcher, earned a 3.43 GPA as an occupational therapy major in the the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. The St. Charles, Mo., native batted .205 this year and drew a single-season record 41 walks. She is the career leader in walks (119) and ranks in the top 10 in career RBIs (5th, 113), career at-bats (5th, 599), career home runs (T-5th, 16), career hits (7th, 171) and career runs (7th, 101).

Militz enjoyed her best season in 2009, batting a career-high .250 as the team's designated hitter, where she earned America East All-Conference First Team honors. She drove in 25 runs and smashed a career-best seven home runs as a senior. In the Terriers' first game of the America East Softball Championship, Militz recorded a walk-off double in the bottom of the eighth that capped off a 4-3 come-from-behind win for BU. The Arlington Heights, Ill., native earned a 3.56 GPA in the School of Management as a business administration and management major.

Leath and Militz were integral members of the BU softball team, which completed its historical season with single-season team records for wins (43), hits (453), doubles (83) and stolen bases (94). The Terriers advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2003 after claiming its seventh America East Championship crown and won two games in the Atlanta Regional over Iowa and Auburn.

For the last two academic years, the All-Academic Team has been selected based on a formula. Starting this year, America East has adopted a more subjective approach based on feedback from various coaches' groups and administrators and approval by the athletic directors. The process will now resemble the CoSIDA's Academic All-America program. Student-athletes worthy of consideration will now be nominated by member sports information directors and voted on by committee of SIDs, academic advisors and faculty representatives from all nine member institutions.

All-Academic squads for team sports are based on the number of athletes that participate in a contest at one time (i.e. 10 including designated player for softball) or are made up of 10 student-athletes for individual sports. There may be more student-athletes recognized if a tie exists or fewer if eligibility requirements limit the number of nominees. To be nominated for the distinction, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve for their team and participate in at least 50 percent of their team's games or competitions. In the classroom, student-athletes must have a 3.30 GPA and have completed at least one calendar year at their institution. Freshmen are not eligible for consideration.