photos courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, Del. -- University of Delaware senior Kim Ovittore was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Softball First Team while junior Caitlin Smith was selected to the second team, it was announced Thursday.

Ovittore (above right), an exercise science major major with a 3.74 grade point average, was among 11 players selected for the District 2 University Division First Team while Smith, an exercise science major with a 3.66 GPA, was among 11 players named to the second team. The voting was conducted by sports information directors at member schools.

To be eligible for the team, student athletes must carry a 3.3 or better grade point average on a 4.0 scale, have at least sophomore eligibility and be a starter or key reserve for their respective teams. District 2 includes all NCAA Division I schools in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Ovittore (Bethel, Conn./Lauralton Hall) was named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association First Team earlier this week. Ovittore, who started all 39 games at shortstop this year, led the Blue Hens with a .327 batting average, 37 hits, 24 runs scored, and eight doubles. She went 3 for 3 against Seton Hall and La Salle, and posted eight two-hit games on the season. Ovittore finished her career ranked second in Blue Hen history with 10 home runs, third with 37 doubles and 101 RBI, fourth with 243 total bases, sixth with 87 runs scored, eighth with 160 hits, and 13th with a .302 batting average.

Ovittore is now eligible for the All-Academic national team, which will be announced later this month. She is the eighth softball player in UD history to earn all-district first team honors and the first since Carolyn Wasilewski made the first team in 2000 and 2001.

Smith (Brookfield, Conn./Brookfield) appeared in 21 games while starting 17 this season for the Blue Hens, including 10 as designated player and seven as catcher. She batted .174 on the year with eight hits, four runs scored and four RBI. Smith (below right) hit her only double of the season in the first game of a doubleheader with Villanova on March 31 and drilled a game-winning two-run homer in a 3-2 victory over the Wildcats in the nightcap.

AGATE

CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2 Softball First Team
C - Krystie Metzler (Temple); IF - Kim Ovittore (Delaware); IF - Mishayla Truttman (Maryland-Eastern Shore); IF - Kendra Saunders (Maryland-Eastern Shore); IF - Susan Perich (Robert Morris); OF - Ashley Beans (Bucknell); OF - Alisha Gonzales (Lehigh); OF - Brooke Panepinto (Robert Morris); P - Lisa Sweeney (Lehigh); P - Ashley Forsyth (Seton Hall); DP - Nicole Waligora (Saint Francis-Pa.).

CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2 Softball Second Team
C - Amanda Burk (Mount St. Mary’s); IF - Danielle Kinley (Penn State); IF - Caroline Higdon (George Washington); IF - Sammi DiPompo (Towson); IF - Mary Pavlovich (Bucknell); OF: - Ashley Carlson (Bucknell); OF - Janelle McCoy (Saint Francis-Pa.); OF - Niki Lau (Maryland); P - Kerry Hickey (Maryland); P - Annie Dubovec (Robert Morris); DP - Caitlin Smith (Delaware).