Softball Quartet Earns Spot on CSC Academic All-District Team

OMAHA, Neb, -- Creighton softball seniors Cayla Nielsen and Madeline Vejvoda, as well as junior Kenzie Schopfer and sophomore Ella Dalton each earned a spot on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team on Tuesday, May 28.

The 2024 Academic All-District ® Softball Team, selected by CSC, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for the 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. Academic All-District® honorees were considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists are denoted with an asterisk and will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members.

Nielsen and Vejvoda are the first Bluejays to receive recognition from CSC in back-to-back years since Sam Crowley earned Academic All-District honors following the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

The Bluejays four honorees are the most ever by the Creighton softball team in a single season, while Nielsen and Vejvoda have each advanced and will be listed on the CSC Academic All-America Ballot. Academic All-America honorees will be announced in early June.

Excelling in the classroom and on the field, Nielsen recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in nursing with a 3.86 GPA. A nine-time member of the Creighton honor roll, Nielsen has also earned NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete recognition twice and was named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team four times. On the field, Nielsen was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team twice while also earning a spot on the NFCA All-Great Lakes Region team two times.

This year Nielsen posted a team-high 67 hits and 17 doubles with 31 runs scored while hitting at a .342 clip this spring. In addition, Nielsen's 17 doubles this year were tied for the third most in a single season in program history. Overall, Nielsen closed out her career as one of the greatest hitters in school history, ranking seventh in career batting average (.333), tied for fifth in career hits (209), fourth in career doubles (41), eighth in career total bases (313) and is the school record holder with 137 career runs scored.

Earning her second CSC Academic All-District honor, Vejvoda graduated with a bachelor's degree in Healthy Lifestyle Management while boasting a 3.76 cumulative GPA last spring and recently graduated with a graduate certificate in Organizational Leadership with a perfect 4.0. A nine-time member of the Creighton honor roll and a two-time NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete, Vevjoda guided the Bluejays to its first 30-win since 2010 while leading the team with 32 runs scored and a .404 on-base percentage.

Vejvoda, a 2024 unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team and NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Second Team second baseman, also ranked second on the team in batting average (.353), hits, (61), doubles (12) and walks (17), while recording a team-high six of the Bluejays new school record 20 sacrifice flies this season.

In her first season with the Bluejays, Schopfer owns a 3.74 GPA while majoring in Health Administration and Policy. A two-time NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and a two-time member of the Creighton honor roll, Schopfer posted a quality season in the circle for the Bluejays this past spring. A Savannah, Mo. native, Schopfer recorded six wins, including the first perfect game by a Bluejay pitcher since 2006. The steady right hander recorded a 4.00 ERA this season while striking out 64 batters in 89.1 innings of work.

Claiming her first CSC Academic All-District honor, Dalton boasts a 3.73 GPA in graphic design. An NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and a four-time member of the Creighton honor roll, Dalton was one of the most improved players in the BIG EAST this season. Earning First Team All-BIG EAST honors, Dalton ranked second in BIG EAST play with a .441 batting average, fourth in on-base percentage at .500 and tied for third with 30 base hits during league play. Overall, the Elkhorn, Neb. native owned a .315 batting average with 45 hits, including eight doubles, a team-high two triples, two home runs and 27 RBI while recording a team-best seven stolen bases.

Academic standing:

Student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically.
Student-athletes must be enrolled at their institution at the time of nomination either as undergraduates or graduate students. Only the school at which an athlete competed in the current academic year can nominate that player.
Student-athletes who have graduated from their own institution during the current academic year and are not competing in athletics at another institution at the time of nomination are eligible.
An undergraduate student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).
A graduate student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as both an undergraduate and a grad student unless they are in their first semester as a graduate student and don't have an established graduate GPA.
The cumulative grade point average may not be rounded up to 3.50.

NEW: Athletic Eligibility

M/W Soccer, Football, M/W Basketball, Baseball, Softball, M/W At-Large: student-athletes must compete in 90 percent of the institution's games/contests played OR must start in at least 66 percent of the institution's games/contests. For baseball and softball pitchers, it is 17 appearances or 25 innings pitched.

For more information about CSC Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.

Softball Quartet Earns Spot on CSC Academic All-District Team

Players Mentioned

Ella Dalton

Cayla Nielsen

Kenzie Schopfer

Madeline Vejvoda

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