(Ann Arbor, MI) - The College Sports Communicators (CSC) released their 2023 Academic All-America winners on Wednesday afternoon. Concordia Cardinals' softball team members Payton Lewis and Shannon McAlinden were named to the Softball All-America list. 

Lewis and McAlinden are the first two Cardinals to be named to the CSC All-America team. 

Payton Lewis, a sophomore from Vicksburg, Michigan, is an Elementary Education major and has a cumulative GPA of 3.71. 

In addition to being named to the CSC First Team this season, Lewis was the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Player of the Year as she led the team with a .429 batting average while hitting three home runs and hitting 37 RBIs. She also broke the program record for hits in a season with 90. 

Shannon McAlinden, a junior from Riverview, Michigan, studied Sports and Entertainment Business while maintaining a 3.84 GPA.

McAlinden was also a WHAC First Team All-Conference member this past season. McAlinden tied for the team lead in RBIs with 53 on the season and added a team-high nine home runs. McAlinden tallied 40 stolen bases to break the single-season program record while also breaking the career record. 

The 2023 Academic All-America Softball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes softball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.

College Sports Communicators is a 3,200+ member national association for strategic, creative, and digital communicators across intercollegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. The organization was previously known as College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and was changed to its new name in August of 2022.

Members of the All-America team must have participated in at least 50% of the team's matches throughout the season while also maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.50. The student-athlete must also complete one full calendar year at the institution and reach sophomore athletic eligibility in order to qualify for the honor.