Notebook: Pack softball star Tyler Ross named all-region

N.C. State Tyler Ross was named to the Division I All-Southeast Region team, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced Thursday.

The Wolfpack had a player selected to the all-region team for a second consecutive year, as former standouts Renada Davis and Emily Weiman earned the honor last season.

Ross turned in a phenomenal junior season, breaking the program record with 55 runs scored and 27 stolen bases. She also led the team with a .380 batting average, the second-highest in program history. The Wolfpack’s starting left fielder also paced the squad in home runs (18), hits (65), doubles (10), total bases (131) and slugging percentage (.766).

A Cameron native, she was the only Division I player to finish the regular season with 15 or more home runs and 25 or more stolen bases. She is the first player in N.C. State history to accomplish the feat.

Elon: Sophomore outfielder Kara Shutt was named to the NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region first team.

This is the second all-region honor for Shutt and the first time on first team. She is the first Phoenix player to earn first-team NFCA all-region since Tomeka Watson and Carleigh Nester were selected in 2013.

Duke: Senior attacker Kelci Smesko earned national player of the week recognition Wednesday from Inside Lacrosse. She totaled 11 points in two weekend NCAA tournament contests.

Smesko led the Blue Devils to a 14-8 victory over Loyola in Friday’s first round, sparking the attack with three goals and three assists. She tacked on four more goals and added an assist in a second-round loss to No. 3 seed North Carolina to finish the season tied for first on the team in assists (20) and ranked second in points (63) and goals (43).

Duke: The Blue Devils will be represented by 18 individuals and one relay at next week’s NCAA East Preliminary Round meet in Jacksonville, Fla.

Elon: The women’s team had five athletes qualify for the 2016 NCAA Track and Field East Preliminaries that will be held next week in Jacksonville, Fla.

For a third straight season, the two-time reigning Colonial Athletic Association outdoor track and field champion Phoenix will send a program-record five athletes to the preliminary round.

St. Augustine’s: Nineteen student-athletes collected 47 NCAA Division II All-Region Outdoor Track and Field awards from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Wednesday.

Twelve male athletes earned 27 awards, which tied for second in the men's division and tied for fourth overall in the nation. Seven Falcons garnered 20 women's awards.

Wake Forest: For the second straight season and for the fourth time overall, the Deacons reached the NCAA Championships. This year, the event will take place in Tulsa, Okla.

The Deacons will take on No. 11 Oklahoma in the Round of 16 at 8 p.m. Friday. The quarterfinals will take place Sunday, with the semifinals set for Monday and the championship Tuesday. Should the Deacons continue to advance, all of their matches after Friday would begin start at 5 p.m.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels (31-3) had their season come to an end against 14th-seeded Virginia in the NCAA team championship Round of 16 from Case Tennis Center. The Cavaliers advance with a 4-2 victory.

North Carolina’s third doubles team of Ashley Dai and Chloe Ouellet-Pizer picked up a 6-3 win, but it was sandwiched between a pair of wins by the Cavaliers to garner the early 1-0 advantage.

Wake Forest: Jennifer Kupcho will conclude her freshman season this week as she competes as an individual at the 2016 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship. The tournament will begin Friday at the Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore., with individual play concluding Monday.

Kupcho advanced as one of the top three individuals on non-advancing teams at the NCAA Stanford Regional. She shot 1-under for the three rounds to finish tie for sixth.

Wake Forest: Coach Jennifer Averill announced the addition of seven signees who will join the program for the 2016 season. Isla Bint, Dana Bozek, Kelsey Gill, Emma Cate Graham, Lucy McKee, Jess Pianko and Nicola Pluta will play for the Deacons in the fall.

From news releases

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 11:30 PM with the headline "Notebook: Pack softball star Tyler Ross named all-region."