AASU's Jessica Strong Named Academic All-American

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Senior outfielder Jessica Strong has been named to the ESPN: The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American softball third team, announced by CoSIDA. Strong is the first AASU softball player to earn Academic All-America honors.

Strong carries a 3.97 GPA in mathematics and was the recipient of the AASU President's Cup award in 2009, given annually to the male and female student-athlete of the year at AASU by the Savannah Exchange Club. She was one of two AASU student-athletes to carry a perfect 4.00 GPA for the 2008-09 academic year as well.

A three-year standout for the Pirates, Strong earned All-PBC and All-PBC Tournament honors in 2009, hitting .375 with six home runs and 36 RBI. She ranked sixth in the PBC in batting average, fifth in on-base percentage and seventh in RBIs this season.

The Fountain Valley, Calif., native also earned PBC All-Academic softball honors this year. She is one of two players from the Peach Belt Conference to earn Academic All-America honors, joining GCSU's Mandy Chandler, who was also a third-team honoree.

To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

ESPN The Magazine – winner of the 2006 and 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence – is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized biweekly with a circulation of 1.9 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.