UW-Whitewater senior softball player Amy Gahl (Beloit/Parkview) was named ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America First Team Academic All-America for the 2009 season.
Gahl is the seventh softball player to earn CoSIDA honors and the first since Megan Koeller in 2003. Whitewater is the only school in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to have a two-time honoree in softball. Megan Koeller earned the award in 2002 and 2003, Laura Hering in 1998 and 1999, Gayle Gruber in 1984 and 1985 and Gahl is the fourth, receiving the award in 2008 and 2009.
Gahl, a four year letter winner, is majoring in psychology and has a 3.66 grade point average. During her four year career, Gahl was named first (2009) and second (2007) team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America, first (2009) and third (2008) team CoSIDA Academic All-District, first team all-region three times (2007-2009), first team All-WIAC three times (2007-2009), WIAC Co-Judy Kruckman Scholar Athlete (2009), and WIAC Position Player of the Year (2007).
Gahl is the first Warhawk to earn first team All-America honors from the NFCA and CoSIDA in the same season.
Gahl not only excelled in the classroom but on the diamond as she broke numerous Whitewater and WIAC career records, as well as, season records. Gahl helped UW-W to the NCAA III championship tournament runner-up spot in 2008 and WIAC championships in 2008 and 2009. She tops the WIAC in career hits (230) and runs (185). Gahl is also fourth in the WIAC career record books in runs batted in, driving in 138.
In the UW-W record books, Gahl helped UW-W teams that hold the first through fourth spots in season homeruns, and top the charts in season runs and runs batted in. Gahl holds the top spot individually in hits with 70 and the top three spots in runs. She also leads in UW-W career totals in hits (230), runs (185) and is tied for first in at bats (560). Her career totals in RBIs (138) and doubles (45) are good for second in the school records.
During the 2009 season, Gahl compiled a .435 batting average with nine stolen bases. Her 67 hits and 52 runs led the WIAC.
