COLUMBIA, Mo. – Five members of the University of Missouri softball team were named Academic All-District, College Sports Communicators announced Tuesday.
Alex Honnold, Cierra Harrison, Kayley Lenger, Maddie Gallagher and Kara Daly earned the honor from CSC. Honnold and Daly both earned the distinction for the second-straight time in their careers Tuesday.
The five Academic All-District selections are the most for Mizzou in a single season as the Tigers previously had three in 2013.
The 2023-24 Academic All-District Softball teams, selected by CSC, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond and in the classroom.
Alex Honnold, a West Des Moines, Iowa, native, currently has a 3.906 GPA at Mizzou and will graduate from Missouri in August with a Bachelor’s in Parks, Recreation, Sport and Tourism: Sport Management. She has been selected to the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll three times and was named to the 2020-21 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The 2024 NFCA Southeast Third Team All-Region and All-SEC Second Team Selection led the SEC with a Mizzou single season record 21 doubles (sixth in the NCAA) and fourth in the conference for hits 73.
Overall, she led Missouri with a .348 batting average, starting and playing in all 66 games in center for the Tigers. She notched 51 runs, 73 hits, two triples, six homers, 37 RBI with 14 stolen bases and a .552 slugging percentage (.426 on-base percentage).
She finished her Mizzou career ranked in the program’s top-10 for doubles (50, fifth) and walks (98, seventh). In a single season she is the program leader for doubles (21), along with ninth for hits (73), and fourth for hits (210).
She ranked second on MU with 19 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games. She went on a 14-game reached base streak (12-game hitting streak) in 2024.
Cierra Harrison, a sophomore from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, currently has a 3.807 GPA and is majoring in Psychology at Missouri. She has been selected to the 2022-23 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Harrison registered a 14-3 record in the circle, making 22 starts (25 appearances). She notched a 2.05 ERA over 106.0 innings with 87 strikeouts. Harrison notched four complete games and three shutouts with a save.
Harrison compiled her first career no-hitter against Texas A&M-Commerce on Feb. 16.
She ranked 11th in the SEC with 5.15 hits allowed per seven innings.
Kayley Lenger, a sophomore from Liberty, Missouri, currently has a 3.915 GPA and is majoring in Elementary Education at Mizzou. She has been selected to the 2022-23 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Lenger made 59 starts (62 games) in the outfield for the Tigers, batting .258 with 31 runs, 33 hits, five doubles, two homers, 12 RBI and a .344 slugging percentage. She notched an on-base percentage of .435 with 18 walks and an SEC-leading 22 HBP (hit by pitches, third in the NCAA)
Lenger was named to the 2024 SEC All-Defensive Team for her play in right field. She posted a fielding percentage of 1.000 during SEC play this season (45 putouts, zero errors). Overall, she compiled a fielding percentage of .982.
Lenger posted four career-best two-hit games in 2024 along with three multi-RBI games. She compiled an 11-game reached base streak.
Maddie Gallagher, a Port Washington, New York, native, currently has a 3.906 GPA at Mizzou and will graduate from Missouri in August with a Bachelor’s in Parks, Recreation, Sport and Tourism: Sport Management. She has been selected to the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll and was named to the 2020-21 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Gallagher started in all 66 games at second base for Missouri in 2024, batting .281 with 31 runs, 50 hits, 13 doubles, three homers and 40 RBI. She earned 18 walks and 22 HBP for a .435 on-base percentage (.344 slugging percentage).
Gallagher was selected to the 2024 SEC All-Tournament Team after she knocked a solo homer before a walk-off sacrifice fly in the SEC Tournament Semifinals win over LSU.
She was named to the 2024 SEC Community Service Team.
Gallagher paced Mizzou with 10 multi-RBI games to go with seven multi-hit games. She went on a 15-game reached base streak in 2024 (seven-game hitting streak).
Kara Daly, a junior from Jefferson City, Missouri, currently has a 3.899 GPA and is studying Health Science: Health & Wellness Services at Mizzou. She has been selected to the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll and to the First-Year Academic SEC Honor Roll.
Daly started in all 66 games at third base for Missouri in 2024, compiling 20 runs, 38 hits (.207 batting average), eight doubles, seven homers and a triple with 32 RBI. She notched a .375 slugging percentage.
Daly totaled eight multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI games. She went on a 13-game reached base streak (five-game hitting streak).
Academic All-District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. First-, second and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced June 18.
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