Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg University softball standout Rachel Ross, class of 2014 from Westerville, Ohio, has been recognized for the combination of her athletic and academic accomplishments with first-team Capital One Academic All-America College Division All-District 7 honors.

The honor is the first for Ross in her collegiate career. She was selected as a result of online voting conducted recently by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Student-athletes who make the first-team in district voting are considered for Academic All-America awards.

A mathematics major and business minor, Ross carries a 3.92 grade point average while participating in a wide variety of extracurricular activities at Wittenberg. She works as an orientation assistant in the Office of Student Development and as a tour guide in the Office of Admission, and she is active in the Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

Ross was a first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honoree in 2011 after leading the Tigers with a 3.41 earned run average while compiling a 7-11 record as a freshman. Ross made 19 appearances, including 18 starting assignments, and she registered 15 completed games. She recorded a pair of shutouts, including the first perfect game in program history against Oberlin.

She followed that up with another solid season in 2012. Ross made 19 appearances — all starts — and was credited with a 12-7 record after going the distance in 16 times and registering five shutouts. Her 3.37 earned run average ranked second on the team.

Ross also has been a key player in the Tigers' offensive lineup, batting .284 with seven runs scored and seven runs batted in a year ago. In 2012, she batted .268 with 13 runs scored and 14 RBIs.

The Tigers finished 2012 with records of 23-17 overall and 7-9 in the conference.

Written By: Ryan Maurer
Photos By: Erin Pence

030-12