LOUISVILLE, Ky. –Sixteen players from eight schools in three-member regions have garnered 2019 NFCA National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III All-America Team recognition, the Association revealed on Wednesday.
Additionally, Taylor Zaino of Herkimer County Community College was selected the New Balance/NFCA Golden Shoe Award recipient, while Rock Valley College’s Cara Alexander took home the Diamond Sports/NFCA Catcher of the Year honor.
NCAA NJCAA DIII All-Americans
Rock Valley College, which collected NJCAA-record sixth straight national title, leads all teams with four honorees. National runner-up Herkimer CC and Rowan College at Gloucester County each placed three of its players on the team.
Brookdale Community College had two selections, while Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Central Lakes College -Brainerd, Monroe Community College and Suffolk County Community College-Seldon had one honoree apiece.
There were eight representatives from the North Region, five from the East and three from the Midwest.
Three student-athletes – Rock Valley’s Breanna Crown and Courtney Fernette, and Herkimer County’s Kali Puppolo – garnered their second straight NFCA All-America honor.
Crown and Puppolo headlined a trio of pitchers and are joined by Rowan’s Jaclyn Lesher. Crown finished 25-6 with a 1.93 ERA and 153 strikeouts in 177.2 innings of work. She surrendered just 11 extra-base hits and held her opposition to a .236 batting average. Puppolo posted a 17-3 mark with a 1.98 ERA and 142 punchouts in 113.1 innings. She allowed just eight extra-base hits. Lesher finished 2019 at 18-8 with a 2.75 ERA, 104 strikeouts and four saves over 157.2 innings of work. She also helped herself out offensively, hitting .a team-best .444 with 16 doubles, five triples and 38 RBI.
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Alexander, the Diamond Sports/NFCA Catcher of the Year, batted .420 with 89 hits, 24 doubles, 34 RBI and a team-high 70 runs scored. She did not commit and error in 142 chances. Joining her as a NFCA All-America catcher is Rowan College’s Macenzie Long. She produced a .421 batting average, 51 hits, seven doubles, five triples and 48 runs scored.
Making up the five infield positions is Brookdale duo, Shakyra Moore (.439, 75 H, 19 2B, 25 HR, 81 RBI, .988 SLG) and Alyssa Raimondo (.411, 67 H, 18 2B, 42 RBI, 49 R), along with Heather Cicinnati (.545, 14 2B, 37 RBI, 61 R, .566 OBP) of Suffolk County, Lindsay Hendrickson of Central Lakes (.492, 17 2B, 11 HR, 73 RBI, 41 R, .915 SLG)) and Camryn Bianchi of Monroe (.448, 47 H, 9 2B, 26 RBI, 28 R, .521 OBP).
A quartet made up of Fernette (.419, 25 2B, 9 3B, 7 HR, 68 R), her RVC teammate Megen Johnson (.432, 23 2B, 11 HR, 68 RBI, .829 SLG, Herkimer’s Taylor Zaino (.454, 64 H, 94 R, 42 BB, .585 OBP) and Rowan’s Kelsee Murphy (.440, 14 2B, 8 3B, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 49 R, .503 OBP) are the 2019 outfield All-Americans. Zaino, the Golden Shoe recipient, swiped a NJCAA DIII-best 65 bases in 67 attempts.
Rounding out this year’s All-Americans is utility honoree Bailey Zenk (.576, 14 2B, 20 K, 90 RBI, 58 R, .591 OBP, 1.090 SLG) of Anoka-Ramsey and designated player selection Jennah Hogan (.540, 30 2B, 11 HR, 78 RBI, 81 H, .557 OBP, 1.000 SLG) of Herkimer County.
