AUSTIN, Texas — Five Tusculum University student-athletes have been named to the 2026 NCAA Division II Academic All-District® 3 Softball first team as selected by the College Sports Communicators.
Earning Academic All-District® distinction are: Ellie Alvarez, Dani Beckham, Abby Hunter, Ella Majchrzak and Chelsey Stonesifer.
District 3 is comprised of colleges and universities representing the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher and must be at least a sophomore. For position players, nominees must have competed in at least 90 percent of their team’s games played or have started in at least 66 percent of the total number of team games played. For pitchers, nominees must pitch 25-plus innings or appear in 17 contests as a pitcher. Each school is limited a maximum of five (5) nominations per team.
Alvarez, a senior designated player from Plano, Illinois, returns to the CSC Academic All-District team for a third straight season. She graduated with summa cum laude honors while earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and Elementary Education. She finished with a 3.97 GPA and is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List, President’s List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. She is a two-time recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2ADA) Academic Achievement Award and earned Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete distinction, twice.
The two-time All-SAC standout played in all 50 games this season where she posted a .299 batting average while totaling 46 hits, including five doubles, one home run to go along with 20 RBI. She also led the team with her 13 multiple-hit games.
In her 159 career games, Alvarez totaled 180 hits with 28 doubles, five triples, 13 home runs, 82 RBI and scored 111 runs (10th in TU history). She finished with a .364 batting average (8th in TU history) while her .417 on-base percentage ranks fifth in school history. Her eight career sacrifice flies are tied for second-most by a Pioneer and her 44 career stolen bases are eighth in the TU record book.
Beckham, a senior pitcher from Valdosta, Georgia, graduated from Tusculum with summa cum laude honors with her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She accounted for a 3.87 GPA and is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. She is a Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete and a recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award.
She made 23 appearances in the pitcher’s circle including 10 starts where she pitched in 48.1 innings and recorded 25 strikeouts. In her two seasons with the Pioneers, she tallied eight wins with a save and tossed two complete games.
Hunter, a junior from Clemmons, North Carolina, has a 3.65 GPA while majoring in business and economics. She is an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete and earned the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award in 2025. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
She started in all 50 games in center field where she posted a .305 batting average to go along with 43 hits including five doubles, three triples, 14 RBI, 24 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. Hunter was second on the roster with her 11 multiple-hit contests. She has played in 157 career games with the Pioneers where she has 131 hits with 21 doubles, 10 triples, two home runs, 59 RBI, 81 runs and 40 stolen bases. She has a .987 career field percentage (4th in TU history) and was perfect in her 100 total chances in 2026 which included four outfield assists.
Majchrzak, a sophomore from Chapin, South Carolina, recorded a 3.55 GPA while majoring in Chemistry. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. In 2025, she was honored as an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete.
She started in all 50 games at third base for Tusculum where she totaled 41 hits with a dozen doubles, two home runs, 25 RBI and batted .291. She drew 22 walks and scored 19 runs.
Stonesifer, a junior from Littlestown, Pennsylvania, finished with a 3.82 GPA while majoring in sport science. She is a member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll after transferring from Limestone University.
Stonesifer emerged as the ace of the pitching staff where she has earned All-Southeast Region and All-Conference laurels in her inaugural Tusculum campaign. She went 18-8 with a 2.47 earned run average in her 33 appearances including 24 starts in the circle. She recorded 18 complete games with five shutouts and also tallied three saves in her 161.1 innings in the circle. She recorded 162 strikeouts against 68 walks.
During her 78-game collegiate career, including first two at Limestone, Stonesifer has a 39-20 record with four saves and has amassed 331 strikeouts.
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 advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced next month.
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2025-2026 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.
