CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Ten softball student-athletes, six of which were all-conference selections in 2011, have been named to the America East Softball All-Academic team, the league office announced today. These student athletes, who excel both academically as well as athletically, represent the best of the America East Conference.

America East Co-Player of the Year April Setterlund (Torrance, Calif.) is among five All-Academic honorees who also earned first-team All-Conference recognition this season. She is joined in that group by University at Albany’s Gina Mason (Sacramento, Calif.), Binghamton University’s Deannie Plemon (Irvine, Calif.) and University of Maine’s Kali Burnham (Courtice, Ontario) and Terren Hall (Bucksport, Maine).

Binghamton’s Meghan Tucker (Kirkwood, N.Y.) was a second-team All-America East choice and is one of a league-high four Bearcats on the All-Academic team. Teammates Stephanie DeLuca (Yonkers, N.Y.), a repeat All-Academic choice and Rhoda Marsteller (New Park, Pa.), Albany’s Kristine Bill (Woodland, Calif.) and University of Hartford’s Kate Wacyk (Sellersville, Pa.) round out the selections.

The All-Academic squads are a product of the June 2005 Athletics Directors meeting where faculty representatives and athletics directors from each of the conference’s nine member institutions decided to honor the league’s top student-athletes, who excel equally in the classroom as they do on the playing field.

For the third straight year, America East has chosen the All-Academic teams using CoSIDA’s Academic All-America program as a model. Student-athletes worthy of consideration are nominated by member sports information directors and voted on by a committee of SIDs, academic advisers and faculty representatives from all nine member institutions.

All-Academic squads for team sports are based on the number of athletes that participate in a contest at one time (e.g., 10 in the lineup for softball) but can be more if there is a tie in voting. To be nominated for the distinction, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve for their team. In softball, position players must participate in at least 50 percent of their team’s games while pitchers must make at least 10 appearances on the mound. In the classroom, student-athletes must have a 3.30 GPA and have completed at least one calendar year at their institution. Freshmen are not eligible for consideration.