Stacie Townsend celebrates during her grand slam run against Southern Miss (Image: Brian Kanof)

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP’s Stacie Townsend was named to the 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Softball First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

This is the first honor in the program’s history and the first at UTEP since Jami Tullius (women’s soccer) was a second team selection in 2005.

A graduate student, Townsend carries a 4.0 GPA while pursuing master’s degree in business. Townsend led the defensive charge from inside the circle, picking up 25 of the Miners’ 31 victories, was named the NFCA/Louisville Slugger Division I Player of the Week and was awarded the league’s Player of the Week four times in 2010.

An All-Conference USA First Team honoree, she produced 11 double-digit strikeout games, five shutout victories, a no hitter and became the first pitcher in school history to eclipse 800 K’s in a career (559 more than the next player).

A native of Orlando, Fla., she owns school records for career wins (64), strikeouts (802), innings pitched (722) and shutouts (11).

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.

For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.