Louisville, KY -- The WPI softball program continued its tradition of excellence in the classroom, earning top billing in the nation as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced its 2024-25 Easton/NFCA Academic Awards. The Engineers posted a 3.830 team grade-point average, the highest among all NCAA Division III programs, and placed 17 student-athletes on the prestigious Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete list.

The annual honors recognize collegiate student-athletes who achieved a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the academic year. In total, over 9,000 student-athletes across all collegiate divisions earned the distinction, including 2,565 from Division III institutions.

WPI (3.830) topped the Division III leaderboard, edging out Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (3.827), Bates College (3.790), and Middlebury College (3.785). The Engineers' academic success was part of a record-setting year for the NFCA, which recognized outstanding academic performance across five divisions and an "Other Four-Year" category.

Seventeen members of the 2024-25 WPI softball roster were named Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes. Juniors Mia Francisco (Hudson, NH), Ava Laughlin (Chester Springs, PA) and Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) returned to the All-America Scholar-Athlete list for their third-consecutive year. Kaitlyn Barr (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI), Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA), Destiny Lum (Kahalu?u, HI), Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) and Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, NY) pulled in their second career honors in 2025.

Earning their first career All-America Scholar-Athlete accolades are Amelia Davis (New Bedford, MA), Suzannah Figler (Baltimore, MD), Grace Grant (Orlando, FL), Liz Jordan (Yardley, PA), Sofia Knopf (Plymouth, MA), Ariana Kreuzer (Walpole, MA), Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA) and Colleen Mayer (Hillsborough, NJ). 

WPI's continued academic excellence under head coach Heather Ross reflects the program's commitment to success both on and off the field. The Engineers' 3.830 team GPA marks the first time in program history that the softball team has ranked in the NFCA's Top 10 nationally and is the highest team GPA ever recorded by the program. 

The complete list of academic award winners and team GPA rankings is available at NFCA.org.

The Crimson and Gray join Saint Louis (NCAA Division I, 3.910), Auburn at Montgomery (NCAA Division II, 3.882), Faulkner (NAIA, 3.897), and Paris Junior College (Junior Colleges, 3.959) as NFCA Team GPA Champions in their respective divisions.

WPI finished with a 25-16 overall record and a 13-7 finish in the NEWMAC as the Engineers reached the 25-win mark for the first time since 2022 and the sixth time in the last 10 seasons.

NFCA Scholar-Athletes Release
NFCA Academic Teams List