WALTHAM, Mass. – Brandeis University senior Kaitlin Streilein of Point Pleasant, N.J., has been selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team. She was selected as a third-team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors Association as a designated player.

Streilein, a pitcher, had already earned second team All-America and first-team All-New England honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and second-team All-University Athletic Association (UAA) honors. She was named the Most Valuable Player in the Eastern Conference Athletic Association (ECAC) Division III New England championships, as she picked up all four of the Judges' wins in the circle while batting a team-high .538 (7-13) for the tournament with four runs scored, three RBI a triple and a home run. She was especially instrumental in Brandeis's 2-1 quarterfinal win over Emerson College, when she pitched a five-hitter and scored both of the team's runs.

Streilein led the Judges in nearly every major offensive and pitching category this season. She batted .489 with 38 RBI, 42 runs scored, eight home runs and five triples. Streilein owned an .801 slugging percentage and .538 on-base percentage. As a pitcher, she posted a 22-3 record, more wins than all but two entire seasons in school history. She finished with a 1.68 earned-run average and 16 complete games, including three shutouts, plus two more combined shutouts. Streilein struck out 163 and walked just 42 in 158 innings of work.

Off the field, Streilein boasted a 3.45 grade-point average as a double major in psychology and Health: Science, Society and Policy. She earned the Brandeis department of athletics' Jim McCully '86 Award that is presented to the seniors who best exemplify the character, dedication and good sportsmanship depicted by the former soccer All-American and inaugural Hall of Fame. Streilein was also presented with the Joseph M. Linsey Fellowship as she will be attending Columbia University for graduate school to earn her master's degree in occupational therapy.

Streilein is Brandeis's 18th Academic All-American and the second in softball, joining Kelly Williams '87. She is also Brandeis's first Academic All-American since 2003.

Under second-year head coach Jessica Johnson, the Brandeis softball team finished the season with a 38-9-1 record. The Judges set a new program-wide record for wins in a season and tied the record for consecutive victories with 23 in a row.

To be eligible for Academic All-America honors, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

ESPN The Magazine – winner of the 2006 and 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence – is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.9 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.

For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com or e-mail rlipe@bentley.edu.

Streilein is a 2004 graduate of Brick Township Memorial High School. She is the daughter of Richard and Susan Streilein, Pt. Pleasant, N.J.