2023 Easton/NFCA Academic Awards

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In a Tuesday announcement by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, the Academy of Art softball program earned its second Easton/NFCA Team GPA honor while six Urban Knights were selected as Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes. Graduate student outfielder Nina Vallejos, senior outfielder Bethany Mitchell, sophomore infielder/pitcher Elle Edeker, freshman catcher/infielder Olivia Glover, sophomore pitcher/outfielder Sydney Harmon, and freshman pitcher Kamielle Powell were among the student-athletes featured for their work both on and off the softball field.

"I am so proud of our six student-athletes being recognized for their academic achievements," said Assistant Coach Angelica Terrel. "They worked so hard and put their academics first while even enduring the crazy schedule of season. Not to mention, we are extremely proud to have two freshmen as Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes!"

In order to make the Easton/NFCA Team GPA list, a program must have collectively delivered a 3.00 cumulative team grade point average or higher for the year. The academic success of 18 softball student-athletes was factored into a 3.23 GPA with eight of those individuals receiving Academic All-PacWest Team selections. To read more about what Academy of Art achieved this season, click here. There were a total of 99 teams honored by the NFCA for their academic success.

To qualify for Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors, the student-athlete must have compiled a minimum GPA of 3.50 for the 2022-23 academic year. Among the total of 1,781 student-athletes who represented NCAA Division II and 83 total honorees from seven Pacific West Conference institutions.

Nina Vallejos
Competing in her final season as a collegiate student-athlete, Vallejos posted a 3.71 GPA in the School of Fashion Design over the past two semesters. The native of West Sacramento, Calif. competed in 36 games, starting 21, and was one of seven Urban Knights to score double-digit runs in 2023. Among her season highlights was a 2-for-3 effort that included one run scored versus Chico State on Feb. 11. She finished the year with 10 runs scored, two runs batted in, and three stolen bases in 50 at-bats.

A 2023 Spring Show honoree, Vallejos made it pair of academic awards, Academic All-PacWest Team and Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete (second time in her career), this season with Academy of Art.

Bethany Mitchell
Over the course of this past Fall and Spring, Mitchell closed out her career in memorable fashion, showing her five-tool ability on the softball field alongside a 3.80 GPA in the School of Graphic Design. The native of Lake Stevens, Wash. was one of just four Urban Knights to play in and start all 51 games, concluding the season with a .278 batting average as well as 23 runs scored, 15 doubles, four triples, one home run, 20 runs batted in, and three stolen bases in 162 at-bats. Tied for the most doubles and sixth-most triples in the PacWest in 2023, Mitchell tied or surpassed all of her single-game career highs with four hits versus Holy Names (Apr. 29), three runs scored against Hawaii Pacific (Mar. 25), two doubles versus HNU (Apr. 8), three runs batted in on two occasions – one of which featured her second career home run (Apr. 1). When she wasn't posting ART U's second-highest slugging percentage (.438) and amassing the program's second-most career triples (nine), Mitchell was busy defensively, adding six outfield assists to her career total of 17.

In addition to having her work recognized with a Portfolio Honorable Mention Scholarship Award from the School of Graphic Design at the Spring Show, Mitchell ended her career with three Academic All-PacWest Team selections and this, her first Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honor.

Elle Edeker
Registering double-digit runs scored and driven in during her second season as an Urban Knight, Edeker spent the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters producing a 3.62 GPA in the School of Architecture, widely regarded as one of the toughest majors at Academy of Art. Starting 35 of her 43 games played, the Montrose, Colo. native wrapped up the year with 13 runs scored, 10 runs batted in, one double, and eight walks over 89 at-bats while also making six appearances in the pitchers' circle where she struck out four in 6.1 innings of work. Offensively, she offered multiple runs batted in on three occasions, two runs scored four times, and a pair of multi-hit games. Edeker's lone double of the year drove in two before she scored twice versus Simon Fraser on Apr. 1. She also ranked third on the team with 42 assists defensively.

Edeker's architecture work was also featured in Spring Show and she became a two-time Academic All-PacWest Team and Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete in her career.

Olivia Glover
Over the course of 21 games played and 16 starts in her first collegiate softball season, Glover was one of four Urban Knights to hit a home run, doing so while she supported a 3.78 GPA, the highest mark among the team's freshman class, in the School of Animation & Visual Effects over the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters. During her 41 total at-bats, the native of Sammamish, Wash. finished with three runs batted in (one in just her second collegiate at-bat versus Jessup on Feb. 1), two runs scored, and her lone home run which plated two against Holy Names on Apr. 29.

Glover opened her collegiate career with Academic All-PacWest Team and Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors.

Sydney Harmon
Owner of the team's highest individual academic mark, Harmon put together a 3.92 GPA in the School of Advertising over the past two semesters while contributing both as a pitcher and as a hitter this season. Joining the program mid-year, the native of Meno, Okla. entered the pitching circle a total of 16 times, making one start while logging the squad's third-highest innings pitched total (23.1). Offensively, Harmon highlighted the year with a two-run double versus Holy Names on Apr. 29, helping give the team a victorious three-run cushion in the final frame.

Harmon's inaugural season with Academy of Art was capped by her receiving her first Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete award.

Kamielle Powell
In her collegiate debut year, Powell emerged as one of Academy of Art's two starting pitchers while adding a 3.50 GPA in the School of Advertising. The native of Fresno, Calif. led the team with 148.2 innings pitched (top five in PacWest), seven wins and 66 strikeouts (both top 10 in PacWest), a 3.96 ERA (top 20 in PacWest), and three complete games across her 43 appearances and 18 starts. She struck out five on two occasions and notched her first complete game shutout at the college level on Apr. 28 when she blanked Dominican while holding the Penguins to just seven hits plus two walks in 7.0 innings of work.

Powell takes home two academic honors, Academic All-PacWest Team and Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete, this season.

This marks the fifth year Academy of Art student-athletes have been awarded NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors. A quintet earned the distinction in 2022, a quartet in 2016, and prior to that duos came in 2015 as well as 2011.