Manhattan's Bowen Named To Academic All-America Team
MAAC Sports
Courtesy Manhattan College Athletics
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Manhattan College’s Kate Bowen has been named to the Capital One Academic All-America® Division I Softball Team. A two-time Academic All-District selection, the second baseman/pitcher earned a place on the Academic All-America® third team as an infielder.
Bowen is the seventh Manhattan softball player ever to receive Academic All-America® honors, and the first since Jessica Mack in 2000.
The Academic All-America® team is voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The national ballot consisted of all student-athletes who were selected to their respective All-District first teams. Only starters or significant reserves that have completed at least two semesters at their institution and boast a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher are eligible for CoSIDA awards.
Bowen, the Manhattan College Class of 2014 valedictorian, graduated with a 3.86 GPA in physical education. She was a three-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) All-Academic Team honoree, and she was Manhattan’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year for both 2012-13 and 2013-14. Bowen was also a top 30 candidate for the 2014 Senior CLASS Award.
After earning First Team All-MAAC recognition as an infielder in 2013, Bowen was named First Team All-MAAC as a utility player this season. She started all 55 games at either second base or pitcher and led the Jaspers with 61 hits, 41 runs scored and a .318 batting average. Bowen, of Newtown, Conn., hit leadoff in every game and also had five home runs and 14 doubles. In the circle, she recorded team-bests in wins (12), starts (23), complete games (13), shutouts (3) and ERA (3.60).
In addition to her two First Team All-MAAC selections, Bowen was named to the All-MAAC Second Team in 2012. She finished her career as Manhattan’s all-time leader in games played (190) and at-bats (618), and she’s second all-time in hits (211), as well as third in doubles (39) and runs scored (122).
She’s the first Jasper to be selected to an Academic All-America® team in any sport since Eugene Reynolds (men’s soccer), Magnus Ahlen (men’s track & field) and Rajne Svenssohn (men’s track & field) were all recognized in 2004.
Manhattan went 26-29 this season and reached the championship round of the MAAC Tournament for the first time since 1999.