2024 Easton/NFCA Academic Awards

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In a Tuesday announcement by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, the Academy of Art softball program earned its third Easton/NFCA Team GPA honor while a program record 13 Urban Knights were selected as Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes. Sophomore infielder Audrey Allen, senior infielder Elle Edeker, freshman pitcher Talyn Fordham, freshman pitcher Alyssa Fullmer, sophomore infielder/catcher Olivia Glover, senior outfielder Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki, junior pitcher/outfielder Sydney Harmon, senior infielder Katie Humphreys, freshman pitcher Kamielle Powell, senior infielder Haley Randall, freshman pitcher Kayla Vaughan, and freshman outfielder Lida Wos were among those featured for their work both on and off the softball field.

"Words can't express how proud I am of our student-athletes for achieving these program-high academic awards," said Head Coach Geena Garabedian. "With 13 student-athletes earning All-America Scholar-Athlete awards, they have shown that their drive to succeed extends beyond the field. They set high academic goals as a team, and they surpassed them with determination and hard work. Their success in the classroom is a true reflection of their overall commitment to excellence, and it's an honor to coach such an outstanding and driven group."

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 20 softball student-athletes was factored into a 3.46 GPA with 15 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 89 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 2023-24 academic year. Among the total of 1,510 student-athletes who represented NCAA Division II and 48 total honorees from seven Pacific West Conference institutions.

Audrey Allen
While supporting a 3.62 GPA in the School of Interior Architecture & Design during the past year, Allen led the Urban Knights with 13 extra-base hits including a team-high nine doubles (seventh in PacWest) and 18 runs batted in (13th in PacWest) while adding a .281 batting average, 11 runs scored, and four stolen bases across 42 starts in 43 total games.

Allen started 2024 on fire at the plate, enjoying a team-best eight-game hit streak that featured five multi-hit games and saw her drive in eight runs. She doubled and homered on Opening Day versus Menlo and soon delivered a season-best three of her teammates in ART U's 6-1 win over Chico State on Feb. 10. This is the first Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete selection for Allen who recently earned her second career Academic All-PacWest Team honor.

Elle Edeker
Competing in her final collegiate season, Edeker served as a consistent starter for the Urban Knights while working toward a 3.62 GPA in the School of Architecture, one of the hardest majors at Academy of Art, in 2023-24. The native of Montrose, Colo. started 32 of her 36 games played in 2024 and finished with a .212 batting average along with five RBIs, seven runs scored, and one double.

Edeker, now a two-time Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete, a three-time Academic All-PacWest Team selection, a CSC Academic All-District honoree, and a D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award winner last year, began her senior campaign on a strong note, going 3-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored in her first game of the season against Menlo on Feb. 2. Later that month she scored what would be the winning run against Biola on Feb. 24 and then recorded a hit in 11 of 13 games across March and April, enjoying a five-game hit streak during that stretch.

Talyn Fordham
A contributing member to Academy of Art's emerging pitching rotation, Fordham worked toward a 3.62 GPA in the School of Architecture over the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters. She completed 21.1 innings in the circle and logged 15 strikeouts while making four starts and eight total appearances.

Fordham went the distance in each of her first two starts, finishing 7.0 innings on each occasion including a season-best nine-strikeout performance in her Feb. 16 debut against Simon Fraser caps her first collegiate season as both an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and an Academic All-PacWest Team honoree.

Alyssa Fullmer
Fullmer's opening season as a collegiate pitcher saw her handle the role of the team's series starter well while delivering a 3.75 GPA in the School of Interior Architecture & Design in 2023-24 off the field. She finished with the most appearances among ART U hurlers (23), tied for the lead in wins (5), and ranked second on the squad with 15 starts, 98.0 innings pitched (ninth in PacWest), a 4.36 earned run average, and 17 strikeouts.

After picking up her first collegiate win at Menlo on Feb. 3, Fullmer followed that up with her first collegiate complete game in a victory over Chico State on Feb. 10. Among her highlights the rest of the way were one run allowed over another complete 7.0 innings versus Biola on Feb. 23, becoming the fifth pitcher in Academy of Art history to toss 9.0 innings in an Apr. 3 triumph at Hawaii Pacific, and no earned runs allowed to propel the Knights to victory at Chaminade on Apr. 7. Fullmer's Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete selection follows her Academic All-PacWest Team honor this past June.

Olivia Glover
Playing in 15 games and making six starts over the course of her second collegiate campaign, Glover primarily served as the Urban Knights' designated hitter when in action and was able to finish the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters with a 3.75 GPA in the School of Animation & Visual Effects. The native of Sammamish, Wash. recorded five hits, two walks, one run batted in, and one stolen base in 25 at-bats. She matched her career high with two hits against Chico State on Feb. 10.

Glover, whose work appeared in Spring Show, now becomes twice an Academic All-PacWest Team selection and an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete.

Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki
Continuing to thrive in the ART U lineup after her breakout 2023 campaign, Grayhorse-Pupecki posted a 3.62 GPA in the School of Fashion Design while furthering the program's career triples record this year by roping four more to rank second in the PacWest and give her 14 through four years. Additionally, she concluded the regular season ranked eighth in both home runs (4) and runs scored (22), 12th in runs batted in (18), 13th in slugging percentage (.458), and 21st in batting average (.289) with six stolen bases and four doubles as well.

After scoring eight runs in her first eight contests of the year, Grayhorse-Pupecki enjoyed a 17-game span from March to April that saw her at least record a hit or score a run each time out. Among the 10 multi-hit games the Fashion Design major this season was a 3-for-5 effort that included two runs batted in and had her just a home run from hitting for the cycle versus Chaminade on Apr. 6. An All-PacWest Third Team selection, four-time Academic All-PacWest Team, and an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete for the first time in her career, Grayhorse-Pupecki would either triple and/or homer at least twice in each of the season's three months.

Sydney Harmon
Coming off her debut season with Academy of Art in 2023, Harmon did not compete in the Urban Knights' 2024 campaign, but continued to support a strong 3.87 GPA, the highest mark on the team, in the School of Advertising over the 2023-24 academic year.

This is her second time earning Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors after doing so first in 2023.

Liberty Herrera
Quickly becoming ART U's starting catcher in first year with the program, Herrera carried over strong academic efforts from her previous school toward a 3.50 GPA in the School of Fashion Design in 2023-24. One of just three Urban Knights to start every game, she broke the program's single-season record with 15 runners caught stealing while leading the team with a .995 fielding percentage by way of 161 putouts and 29 assists to just one error in 191 chances. With the bat, she added two doubles, seven runs scored, five RBIs, and a team-best five sacrifice hits.

Herrera, an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honoree for the first time in her career after being named CSC Academic All-District and Academic All-PacWest Team, delivered at least one hit in five of her first eight games with Academy of Art this year, marking that stretch with a season-high two runs scored part of a 2-for-4 effort versus Menlo on Feb. 3 as well as a 3-for-3 performance against Cal State East Bay on Feb. 14, logging a double and one run driven in on that occasion.

Katie Humphreys
The final season of Humphreys' collegiate career was another productive one as she started every game, delivered another double-digit RBI total, and produced a 3.85 GPA in the School of Art Education. She wrapped up the campaign ranking second on the team with a .291 batting average, 11 RBIs, four doubles, and seven runs scored.

Humphreys posted multi-hit games in half of her first six outings and later matched her career high with three hits twice in a four-game span amid conference play. The team leader in multi-hit games (12), she also was one of three Knights to reach double digits in the reached base streak category, touching first in 10 straight over nearly a one-month span into late March. After collecting the second Academic All-PacWest Team honor of her career, Humphreys becomes an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete for the first time.

Kamielle Powell
The team's lone left-handed pitcher in a four-arm rotation, Powell contributed innings both as a starter and in relief in addition to standing out with a 3.66 GPA in the School of Advertising over the year. Making seven starts as part of her 18 appearances in the circle, the Fresno native finished with the lowest ERA on the squad (4.20), a 2-4 record, two complete games one shutout, and 15 strikeouts in 51.2 innings pitched.

Adding her second Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honor to a resume that included a CSC Academic All-District honor to her second Academic All-PacWest Team selection, Powell highlighted her sophomore season with her second collegiate shutout with only five hits and three walks allowed plus a season-high four strikeouts in a complete 7.0 innings of work to power a 1-0 victory over Simon Fraser on Feb. 16.

Haley Randall
Signing off on a memorable five-year career at Academy of Art, Randall closed as one of the team's top run producers either with the bat or touching home plate herself in addition to a strong 3.66 GPA in the School of Art Education in 2024. She regularly hit in the heart of the Knights lineup, started all but one game, and finished with a .258 batting average plus 16 RBIs, 16 runs scored, five doubles, three triples, and seven stolen bases.

Driving in multiple runs on five different occasions, Randall tallied eight multi-hit performances including two doubles and the game-winning RBI fittingly for a Senior Day victory over Dominican on Apr. 26. She ended her time in an ART U uniform among the top 10 in eight different career offensive categories including the highest stolen base percentage (.968) of any Urban Knight with 30 swipes in 31 chances. Randall paired her first Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete selection with her fifth Academic All-PacWest Team and, following her graduation, was chosen as ART U's nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year.

Kayla Vaughan
An impressive collegiate season for Vaughan was highlighted not only by several top rankings among PacWest freshmen, but also a sparkling 3.75 GPA in the School of Illustration over the 2023 Fall and 2024 Springs semesters. The native of San Diego paced the Knights with 118.0 innings pitched (seventh in PacWest), 11 complete games (fourth in PacWest), 95 strikeouts (fifth in PacWest), five wins, and a 4.45 ERA in 21 appearances and specifically 18 starts.

Vaughan earned her first collegiate win with just one run allowed in 5.0 innings at Menlo on Feb. 3 then helped ART U best Biola with no earned runs allowed over 7.0 innings on Feb. 23. Her season-high 12 strikeouts versus No. 14 Western Washington (Mar. 22) were the fourth-most in program history and she would add eight more while logging her first collegiate shutout against Dominican on Apr. 26 en route to being named PacWest Pitcher of the Week. In addition to being named Academic All-PacWest Team, Vaughan could be called an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete for the first time at the end of her debut season.

Lida Wos
One of the team's most dangerous base stealing threats as a freshman, Wos was also dynamic with the camera, producing a 3.62 GPA in the School of Motion Pictures & Television over the course of the 2023-24 academic year. On the field, she started 23 of her 32 games played, swiping a team-high 11 bases (fifth in PacWest) in 12 attempts in addition to hitting .229 with 13 runs scored and five driven in.

Wos came out of the gate lighting up the base paths as she logged a pair of stolen bases in each of the first two starts of her collegiate career and scored four runs in her first four games. Both an Academic All-PacWest Team honoree and an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete to begin her time as a collegiate student-athlete, Wos provided perhaps her most memorable day at the plate on Feb. 24 when she went 3-for-3 with three RBIs including the game-winner against Biola.

This marks the sixth year Academy of Art student-athletes have been awarded NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors. Six Urban Knights earned the distinction in 2023, a quintet in 2022, a quartet in 2016, and prior to that duos came in 2015 as well as 2011.