Ramirez-Tejeda Named CoSIDA Academic All-American for Softball

AUSTIN, Texas -  Senior outfielder Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda (Cambridge, Mass.) of the Emmanuel College softball team has been named to the 2020 Academic All-America® Softball Team, which is selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Ramirez-Tejeda earns Third Team honors to become Emmanuel's first two-sport Academic All-American after earning CoSIDA Academic All-America® honors in Women's Basketball each of the past two seasons.

The honor recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. To appear on the All-America® ballot, players were selected to one of the eight All-District® teams across the United States and Canada.

Based on the absence of most spring sports competition this spring due to CoVID19, the Academic All-America Committee temporarily revised the rules and procedures for nominating student-athletes to be based on career statistics and achievements rather than current season only.

Ramirez-Tejeda is one of 34 players to earn Academic All-America® honors, and one of only five from New England to be honored joining Caraline Wood (WPI), Devon Goetz (MIT), Sarah Von Ahn (MIT) and Peyton Atkins (Endicott). She is also the only softball player on the 2020 list to currently garner All-America® honors in multiple sports in the same academic year. She has performed as one of the top outfield/utility players in New England each of the last two seasons while also succeeding academically by graduating with a 3.90 GPA and a degree in Criminal Justice.

The Cambridge, Mass. native was the 2019 GNAC Player of the Year, NFCA All-Region selection and an All-Conference first team pick after setting a new single-season program record with 10 home runs and an .814 slugging percentage.

She was off to one of the hottest starts in program history in 2020, hitting .579  with 11 hits (five for extra bases) and 10 RBI through the six games before the season was cut short due to the pandemic. Over her career at Emmanuel, she appeared in 76 games, belting 18 home runs while hitting .396 to go along with an .813 slugging percentage. She amassed 76 hits despite missing several weeks each year due to basketball crossover and only playing three seasons. Additionally, she finished with 68 RBI, 59 runs scored and 29 stolen bases for EC.

Ramirez-Tejeda was also a 2018 GNAC All-Conference selection during her first season of collegiate softball as a sophomore. On top of her softball accolades, she also earned All-American honors this winter on the basketball court, garnering CoSIDA Academic All-American First Team honors as well as D3Hoops.com All-American Second Team and Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) All-American Honorable Mention honors.

Click here to view the entire 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team