GORHAM, Maine  –  Senior Lauren Miller (St. George, Maine/Camden Regional), and juniors Madison Day (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills), Lauren Merrill (Bethel, Maine/Oxford Hills), Makena Mulcahy (Auburn, Mass.) and Belle Snyder (Epping, N.H.) of the University of Southern Maine Huskies' softball team have earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors.
 
A junior outfielder, Mulcahy played in 28 games for the Huskies, starting 20. Playing primarily left and right field, Mulcahy hit .265 (13-for-49) with a pair of doubles and a triple.  With three multiple hit games to her credit this season, Mulcahy had a season-best three hits (3-for-4) against UMaine Farmington.  A Psychology major, Mulcahy is a two-time William B. Wise Scholar Athlete and was 2022 Little East Conference All-Academic selection. 
 
A two-time William B. Wise Scholar Athlete, LEC All-Academic Team selection and a 2021 National Fastpitch Division III Scholar Athlete, Day has excelled academically and athletically as the Huskies' starting shortstop since her rookie season. Playing and starting in 39 games this season, Day collected her 100^th career hit during 2023 and her 50^th career RBI.  A standout defensively, Day had 48 putouts and 92 assists in 142 total chances for a remarkable .986 fielding percentage while helping turn eight double-plays.  Day is studying Sports Management.
 
A junior Nursing student, Merrill is a standout pitcher, outfielder and designated player for the Huskies.  Hitting a career-best .306 in 2023, Merrill was 37-for-21 with 15 runs scored, seven doubles and 16 RBI.  A 2022 LEC second team selection at pitcher, Merrill had a strong 2023 with a record of 10-7 including five wins by shutout.  Firing a pair of one-hitters against Little East Conference opponents, Merrill was 5-3 in the LEC with 32 strikeouts in 47.0 innings pitched.  With 27 career wins, Merrill is presently eighth in USM career records.  Merrill is a two-time William B. Wise Scholar Athlete, a Little East Conference All-Academic Team selection and a 2021 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Scholar Athlete.
 
An all-conference outfielder (2022) for the Huskies, Miller recently completed her Nursing degree with distinction. A four-time William B. Wise Scholar Athlete and a 2021 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Scholar Athlete, Miller was the University's 2022 Roland Wirths Memorial Award recipient.  A career .295 hitter for the Huskies, Miller used her impressive speed to generate offense, snag extra base hits and nab 17 stolen bases. Patrolling right field for the Huskies, Miller is a career .966 fielder. In 2023, Miller made a career best 53 putouts, and had three assists and was involved in turning one double-play.
 
Earning second team All-Little East Conference honors as a pitcher in 2023, Snyder is a two-time William B. Wise Scholar Athlete and a 2021 NFCA Division III Scholar Athlete as a Linguistics major.  Snyder was 4-1 against Little East Conference opponents this season, and had a pair of saves. In 38.0 innings pitched against conference opposition, Snyder struck out 53, including a career-high tying 13 strikeouts in a 5-1 against Plymouth State, and a 12 strikeout performance in a 2-1 win against Keene State.  In a 4-0 win over UMass Dartmouth, Snyder fired a seven-inning no-hitter, striking out six. Snyder's no-hit win over the Corsairs was the first seven-inning no-hitter by a Husky pitcher since the 2019 season. Offensively, Snyder hit a solid .312 (29-for-93) with 12 runs scored and eight RBI.
 
Each of the five members of the Huskies' 2023 softball team are earning the honor after distinguishing themselves athletically and academically as student-athletes at the University of Southern Maine.  To be eligible for the accolade, student-athletes must be a starter or an important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games, must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, and have been at their current institution for one full academic year.  Graduate students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher as both an undergrad and graduate student-athlete. 
 
As Academic All-District student-athlete honorees, each of the five Huskies on the Academic All District team are eligible for the Academic All-America ballot.  Voting for the Academic All-America program continues through May 23, and the Academic All-America team for softball will be announced on June 6. Members of College Sports Communicators are eligible to vote. College Sports Communicators began the distinguished Academic All-America® program in 1952, and since then, has honored more than 38,000 deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America® scholar-athlete honors.  Currently, CSC sponsors Academic All-America® programs for men's soccer, women's soccer, football, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, baseball, softball and men's and women's track and field/cross country. Many other sports are eligible through the At-Large program, including USM sponsored sports field hockey, golf, ice hockey, and wrestling).
 
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