Falcon softball players Rose Tusa and Ashley Goettl have both been named to the first College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Capital One Academic All-America team.

Tusa, who was named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) second team All-American in 2012, was the team's pitching leader for the third straight year. This year she finished the season with a 27-8 record with three saves. The 27 wins is a school record for victories in a season. She also set season records for appearances (45), games started (38), strikeouts (245) and innings pitched (242). Tusa, who was named the 2011 and 2012 WIAC Pitcher of the Year, finished this year with a 1.42 ERA. She was named to the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Regional All-Tournament teams and she was named to the first All-WIAC teams in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and earned honorable mention in 2009. Tusa, who was named to the NFCA All-Great Lakes Region teams in 2011 and 2012, now holds several career Falcon records including; appearances (145); earned run average (1.68); strike outs (741); innings pitched (697) and victories (75). She has a 3.88 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in geology. In early May she was named the UWRF 2012 Female Athlete of the Year and the geology department's Outstanding Student. In 2011 she was named to the CoSIDA District 6 second All-Academic team. Tusa was named a NFCA Scholar Athlete in 2010 and 2011 and to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Rolls in 2011, 2010 and 2009.

Goettl was second on the team in hitting with a .387 average going 60-155 at the plate. She led the Falcons in home runs (12), and RBI (48). The 12 homers ties the single season record. She scored 27 runs, had 10 doubles and one triple. She led UWRF with a ,697 slugging percentage. Goettl also had a .460 on bsae percentage and a .978 fielding percentage. She has been inducted into the Collegiate Honors Society and named a NFCA Scholar-Athlete in 2010 and 2011. Goettl was named to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Rolls in 2010 and 2011 and named the 2011 Falcon Award winner. She was named to the NFCA All-Great Lakes Region teams in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The first baseman was named to the first All-WIAC team in 2011 and 2012 and earned honorable mention in 2010. Earlier this year she earned a prestigious Broadcast Education Association national scholarship. She is one of just seven students at four-year colleges to earn the award. She has earned three Student Journalism awards. Goettl is currently the vice president of the Student Senate and the editor of the Student Voice. In 2011 she was named to the CoSIDA District 6 second All-Academic team. She is majoring in journalism, political science and communication studies and carries a 3.83 cumulative grade point average.

The first team is made up of 11 players - two pitchers, one catcher, four infielders, one designated player and three outfielders. In NCAA Div. III softball there are about 1,400 pitchers and 3,200 infielders making Tusa and Goettl among the scholastic and athletic elite of that group.

This is the first time in UWRF history that two players from the same team were named to the first CoSIDA Academic All-America team.

UW-River Falls has now had 14 student-athletes named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America team. The others include; Brian Keller (At-Large (wrestling) honorable mention, 1986); Bob Kotecki (basketball honorable mention, 1986); Mike Olson (football first team, 1991); Brian Izdepski (football first team, 1995); Melissa Tvrdik (volleyball third team, 2003); Rob Novak (At-Large (hockey), 2004); Jovin Kroll (football first team, 2006); Garrett Duncanson (track/cross country second team, 2006); Derek Hansberry (At-Large (hockey) third team, 2007); Krista Hasselquist (track/cross country second team, 2008), Hansberry (At-Large (hockey) third team, 2009) and Bo Storozuk (At-Large (hockey) second team, 2010).

To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at her current institution and be nominated by her sports information director.

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, visit www.cosida.com.