TYLER, TEXAS-- Trine's Carly Searles has been named to the 2014 NFCA All-America team, which was announced at the 2014 NCAA Division III National Championship banquet Wednesday evening.
Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) becomes the first player in Trine softball history to earn All-American recognition multiple times, earning the honors for the second-consecutive season. The junior has received First-Team honors in both of her All-America selections. This is the third time in school-history Trine softball has had an All-American honoree. She is the 16th All-American in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association history. Searles enters this weekend's National Championships tied for the NCAA Division III single-season record with 17 triples. The Thunder are appearing in their first National Championship in school-history.
Searles has re-written the Trine single-season and career record books this season. The speedy center fielder became the school's all-time leader in steals and runs scored early in the season, and later broke the school's all-time hits record. She is closing in on the school's all-time total bases record, needing 22 to set the all-time mark.
This season, Searles has set school-records in runs scored (72), hits (84) and triples, and is five total bases from setting the school's single-season mark in that category.
Other accolades racked up by Searles include First-Team All-MIAA and First-Team NFCA All-Central Region honors. She was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Angola Regional, batting .421 with two home runs, three RBI's, two triples and three steals. Searles earned MIAA Player of the Week honors for her performance in the MIAA Tournament, batting .650 in leading the Thunder to the conference title.
Searles also excels in the classroom as a Capital One Academic All-American®. She is the first player in Trine history to earn All-American and Academic All-American honors in the same season.
The Thunder will face Montclair State Thursday at 7:30 p.m. EST (6:30 p.m. local) in 2014 NCAA Division III Softball National Championships in Tyler, Texas. The game will mark the first appearance by a Trine team in the National Championship round.