Jaspers Named CoSIDA Academic All-American Of The Year
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State senior first baseman Kate Jaspers was named the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the year, while teammate and fellow senior Iyhia McMichael earned second team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, with the release of the 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-America Softball University Division Softball Team Thursday morning by the organization.
With the laurel, Jaspers becomes the first Mississippi State student-athlete in the history of the institution to garner such honors. McMichael earned a national academic honor for the first time in her career and the duo, who earlier marked the first multi-academic all-district honors for MSU, also become the first to earn national academic all-America honors for the Bulldogs. She is also the 13th first team honoree to academic all-American honors in the history of the Mississippi State athletic department.
"This is a tremendous honor, not only for Kate and Iyhia, but also to this program and Mississippi State University," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "This is a testament to their hard work in the classroom, in addition to their work ethic on the field. I am very proud of both of them and wish them luck in their future endeavours."
Having maintained a flawless 4.0 cumulative GPA in Psychology throughout her academic stint at MSU, Jaspers also excelled on the playing field as well. After hitting .323 with 15 RBI as a junior, Jaspers exploded for a .390 average in her final season to go along with 13 extra-base hits and 47 RBI. She was one of the main cogs in State's run to a third consecutive NCAA postseason berth and, en route, earned the Newsom Award, which annually honors the top academic male and female student-athletes at MSU, while also earning a share of the SEC's Scholar Athlete of the Year award with South Carolina's Ashley Smith.
A 2004 first team NFCA all-America selection, and the first two-time winner of the SEC's Softball Athlete of the Year award, McMichael turned in a SEC record .475 batting average in 2004 while also matching the league record for single season walks (51). She finished second, nationally, in batting average and led the country in runs per game on the season. A top three finalist for ASA/USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year award, McMichael was a member of two all-tournament teams in 2004, including the SEC Tournament. She also took home SEC and national player of the week honors from both the NFCA and ASA/USA Softball after a near-flawless run to 2004 Bulldog Classic Most Valuable Player honors. She is also one of four finalists for the NCAA's Honda Award, which annually honors the top athlete in 12 NCAA varsity women's sports.
McMichael, who, along with Jaspers, received her degree at MSU Commencement cermonies on May 8, maintained a 3.24 cumulative GPA in General Business Administration at Mississippi State.
2004 CoSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA SOFTBALL UNIVERSITY DIVISION TEAM
| Pos. | Name, School | Year | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| FIRST TEAM | |||||
| P | Megan Meyer, Seton Hall | Jr. | Vermilion, OH | 3.967 | Biochemisty |
| P | Amy Harre, Southern Illinois | Jr. | Nashville, IL | 3.716 | Physiology |
| C | Carrie Eneix, Kent State | Sr. | Pickerington, OH | 3.913 | Integrated Language |
| IF | Katie Evans, Texas A&M-CC | Sr. | Tempe, AZ | 3.890 | Kinesiology |
| IF | Natalie Furrow, Michigan State | Sr. | San Diego, CA | 3.660 | Social Relations |
| IF | Kate Jaspers, Miss. State | Sr. | Prescott, AZ | 4.000 | Psychology |
| IF | Marci Ridenbaugh, Kent State | Sr. | Canton, OH | 3.972 | Integrated Math |
| OF | Sarah Martz, DePaul | Sr. | Lanark, IL | 3.805 | Secondary Education/Math |
| OF | Jaymie Voss, W. Michigan | Sr. | Kalamazoo, MI | 3.960 | Education |
| OF | Kristen Zaleski, Texas State | Sr. | Tempe, TX | 3.470 | Criminal Justice |
| DP | Katie Shimon, Drake | Sr. | Perry, IA | 3.660 | Marketing |
| Academic All-American Of The Year: Kate Jaspers, Mississippi State | |||||
| SECOND TEAM | |||||
| P | Jenny Gladding, Florida | Sr. | Palm City, FL | 3.530 | Criminology |
| P | Brooke Mitchell, La.-Lafayette | Jr. | Pasadena, TX | 3.518 | Business Finance |
| C | Ashley Smith, South Carolina | So. | Portage, MI | 4.000 | Civil Engineering |
| IF | Kim Dodson, St. Bonaventure | Jr. | Tonawanda, NY | 3.780 | Business |
| IF | Dianne Korcak, Jacksonville | Sr. | Clearwater, FL | 3.673 | Elementary Education |
| IF | Jackie McClain, Alabama | Sr. | Soddy Daisy, TN | 3.340 | Secondary Education/Social Science |
| IF | Kim Wilmoth, Baylor | Jr. | Garland, TX | 3.970 | Accounting |
| OF | Erin Brooks, Fordham | Sr. | Norwich, NY | 3.860 | Business Administration |
| OF | Kris Burdine, Ball State | Sr. | New Palestine, IN | 3.783 | Marketing |
| OF | Iyhia McMichael, Miss. State | Sr. | Nacogdoches, TX | 3.240 | General Business Admin. |
| DP | Wendy Jo Allen | Sr. | Moreno Valley, CA | 3.324 | Business Management |
| THIRD TEAM | |||||
| P | Jamie Southern, Fresno State | Jr. | Fresno, CA | 3.460 | Liberal Studies |
| P | Erin Voeltz, Georgia Tech | Sr. | Westlake, CA | 3.710 | Management |
| C | Ashlie D'errico, Pacific | Sr. | Lancaster, CA | 3.870 | English/Mathematics |
| IF | Stephanie Best, UCF | Jr. | Fort Mill, SC | 3.238 | Liberal Studies |
| IF | Kristen Caldwell, UMKC | Sr. | Kansas City, MO | 3.848 | Nursing |
| IF | Rachel Riopel, Gardner-Webb | Jr. | Rhinelander, WI | 3.888 | Biology |
| IF | Ricki Walker, Colorado State | Sr. | Aurora, CO | 3.310 | Psychology |
| OF | Cameron Astiazaran, Ill.-Chicago | Jr. | Rolling Hills Estates, CA | 3.650 | Criminal Justice |
| OF | Auriel Jenkins, Southern Miss | Sr. | Pearl, MS | 3.450 | Coaching/Sports Administration |
| OF | Janiva Willis, Winthrop | Jr. | Irishtown, NB | 3.740 | Physical Education |
| DP | Nikki Denman, E. Michigan | So. | Sylvania, OH | 3.630 | Recreation/Parks Mgmt. |