WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The postseason honors keep rolling in for recent West Liberty graduates Makenzie Amend and Annie Paterson. Less than 24 hours after being named to the NCAA Division II All-Region Softball Team, the Hilltoppers' diamond duo was honored as first-team selections on the 2022 NCAA Division II Academic All-District® Softball Team.
    The 2022 Academic All-District® Softball Team is composed of 16 student-athletes from the Mountain East Conference (MEC), Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) along with independents Bluefield State and Salem (W.Va.).
    Amend, a graduate student from Wheeling, W.Va., was selected as a pitcher while Paterson, a senior from Salem, Ohio, filled the designated player/utility slot. Both West Liberty veterans played key roles this spring in leading Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers to their third consecutive 30-win season and Mountain East Conference North Division championships.
    A repeat Academic All-District honoree, Amend led the Atlantic Region and ranked among the Top 10 nationally in WHIP, Strikeouts/7IP, and Hits/7IP. The hard-throwing righthander went 18-6 in the circle with a 1.60 ERA, surrendering just 70 hits and 25 walks in 131.1 innings while striking out an MEC-best 208 batters. She broke her own MEC single-season record by holding opposing hitters to a .152 batting average and the 208 strikeouts were the second-highest in league history. Amend is the MEC's career record-holder in strikeouts (724), strikeouts/7IP (9.14), hits/7IP (4.30) and opponents' batting average (.175).  
    An honors graduate in Criminal Justice, Amend has maintained a perfect 4.00 GPA in graduate school as she pursues her master's degree in Criminology.
    The versatile Paterson, who split time between pitcher, designated player and first baseman, led the Black and Gold in nearly every offensive category this spring while also ranking near the top of the MEC in several pitching stats. A potent force in the middle of the WLU lineup, Paterson hammered out 64 hits in 164 at-bats for a .398 batting average. She belted 9 home runs and tacked on 17 doubles for a .671 slugging percentage and eye-popping 1.106 OPS. In the circle, the veteran southpaw was 7-8 with two saves. She ranked among the MEC's Top 5 in Strikeouts (154) and ERA (2.53) and Top 10 in Opposing Batting Average (.227) and Innings Pitched (130.0).
    Paterson was just as impressive in the classroom, graduating earlier this month with a Bachelor's Degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology, having maintained a 3.70 GPA throughout her collegiate career.
    Chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the 2022 Academic All-District® Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined achievements on the field and in the classroom. As first-team Academic All-District® selections, Amend and Paterson are candidates for the 2022 NCAA Division II Academic All-America® Softball Team. Academic All-America® voting begins later this month.
  Pos  Player                                      School                                GPA                     Yr            Academic Major
P       MAKENZIE AMEND              WEST LIBERTY                  3.61/4.00           GR.         CRIMINAL JUSTICE (UG) / CRIMINOLOGY (G)
P       Hannah Hudson                     W.Va. Wesleyan               3.94/4.00            Gr.          Exercise Science (UG) / Athletic Training (G)
C       Madison Fry                           Mercyhurst                        4.00                     Jr.            Special Education & Early Childhood Education
IF      Morgan DeFeo                      Shippensburg                     3.94                     Sr.           Supply Chain Management & Marketing
IF      Kristina DeMatteis                Gannon                               3.73/3.70            Gr.          Business Administration
IF      Hannah Marsteller                Shippensburg                     3.56                     Sr.           Biology (Pre-Veterinary)
IF      Chloe McQuestion                Mercyhurst                        3.92                     Sr.           Biochemistry
IF      Nicole Purtell                         Shepherd                            3.88                     Sr.           Business Administration & Sociology
IF      Alli Robinson                          W.Va. Wesleyan               3.81                     Jr.            Exercise Science
IF      Morgan Toal                          Seton Hill                            3.39                     Sr.           Mathematics & Actuary Science
OF    Sofia Cecchin                         East Stroudsburg               3.62/4.00            Gr.          Management & Leadership
OF    Alexis Maciejowski               Notre Dame (Ohio)          3.61                     Sr.           Sports Management & Marketing
OF    Madison Melvin                    West Chester                     3.46                     Jr.            Pre-Physical Therapy
OF    Jenna Osikowicz                    Seton Hill                            3.55/3.88            Gr.          Marketing & Human Resources (UG) / MBA (G)
OF    Laura Thompson                   Concord                              3.86                     Sr.           Biology
DP    ANNIE PATERSON                WEST LIBERTY                  3.70                     SR.          EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY