Softball Team Earns Academic Accolades

Girls’ softball coach Heather Vaughan received news Friday that East’s girls’ softball team was ranked fifth in nation in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s (NFCA) Top 10 Academic Team List. Vaughan had entered the girl’s in the weighted GPA category with a cumulative GPA of 4.16 out of a possible 5.0.

Athletes who achieve a GPA 3.5 or higher qualify to submit their team to be recognized for the NFCA’s Top 10 List. After the initial list is out, the NFCA narrows down their list of applicants and selects their top 10 to be recognized every fall. East is currently ranked fifth for last years team’s cumulative GPA.

“I submitted the girls for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 10 in the country for GPA for the weighted category, and lo and behold we made it to the top 10.” Vaughan said. “Later that week I found out we were in the top five.”

Many schools in the Sunflower League, and in Kansas, also submitted their teams for the contest. Olathe Northwest placed first on the NFCA’s Top 10 list for un-weighted grades, and fellow Kansas school Washburn Rural High School placed fourth in the weighted grades category. This is the first time East has been submitted to this contest, and the result was felt to be a huge honor to Athletic Director Sam Brown.

“Obviously when you win any award on behalf of Shawnee Mission East it’s outstanding.” Brown said. “Academics is what we stand for first, so we are really proud of the fact that our girls are not just outstanding athletes, but outstanding students.”