Giampaolo Named to Academic All-America Third Team
5/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Senior Alessandra Giampaolo(Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic HS) of the University of Michigan softball team was named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America softball third team, announced Wednesday (May 28) by the College Sports Information Directors Association of America (CoSIDA). Giampaolo is the ninth different Wolverine softball player to earn Academic All-America honors in program history and first since 2000.
A psychology major, Giampaolo has established a lengthy list of academic accolades over her four seasons at Michigan. She earned selection to the Academic-All Big Ten team in each of the last three seasons. The Wolverine senior also garnered two CoSIDA Academic All-District accolades and was a four-time winner of the U-M Athletic Academic Achievement award.
A four-time NFCA All-Great Lakes Region honoree, Giampaolo ranked among the Wolverines' leading hitters during each of her collegiate seasons, batting .363 as a senior this season while leading U-M in hits (70) and doubles (13). She tallied her 61st career two-bagger against Virginia Tech in the NCAA Super Regional (May 24), tying Catherine Davie (1996-99) for the Michigan school record, and placed her name among the all-time U-M leaders in nearly every offensive category.
A four-year mainstay in the Wolverine outfield -- three as a centerfielder before moving to leftfield this season -- Giampaolo lent her glove and rocket launcher arm to the outfield, recording 42 putouts this season and a team-best three outfield assists while boasting a strong .978 fielding percentage.
Academic All-Americans are selected after a voting process at the district level. Those who are named to all-district first teams advance to the All-America ballot. To be nominated, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing, be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA.
CoSIDA has selected Academic All-America teams since 1952. Currently, there are 12 teams named: football, women's volleyball, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's track & field/cross country, women's track & field/cross country, men's at-large and women's at-large. A first team, second team and third team are selected in both the University (Division I and I-AA) and College (Division II, III and NAIA) divisions.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
