Emory's Brittany File & Taylor Forte Earn Academic All-District Honors

Emory's Brittany File & Taylor Forte Earn Academic All-District Honors

From Emory University Athletics

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) has released the 2016 Academic All-District teams in softball with Emory junior pitcher Brittany File (Carmel, CA) and junior outfielder Taylor Forte (Pleasantville, NY) earning spots on the coveted list.

File has compiled a 30-2 record in the circle with her victory total leading all Division III hurlers and ranking as a school season record.  Recently named the University Athletic Association Player of the Year, File has tossed 175 1/3 innings and her ERA of 1.24 leads the conference and ranks 28th nationally.  She has fanned a school record 273 opposing batters, good for the No. 2 slot in Division III, and her average of 10.9 strikeouts per seven innings is the No. 3 mark nationally.  Named the UAA Pitcher of the Week on four occasions this year, she was named the MVP of the UAA Tournament and closed out the regular season by not allowing a run over her last 35 2/3 innings of action.

In the classroom, File, a neuroscience and behavioral biology major, maintains a 3.65 grade-point average through fall of 2015.  It is the second straight year that she has landed a berth on the academic all-district team.

Forte has been a key cog in the Emory offensive attack and sports a hitting mark of .407 (50 of 123) that ranks fourth on the club and 10th on the conference chart.  She has delivered 13 multi-hit contests and driven in two or more runs on seven occasions. She has socked a conference-best 15 doubles, which is good for a 10th-place tie on the Eagles' season ladder.  She is fourth on the Emory score sheet with 50 hits, leads the team with 24 walks and is second in on-base percentage (.507).

Away from the field, Forte is a dual major in biology and mathematics and has a GPA of 3.72.  It is the first time that she has been chosen to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team.

Voting for the Academic All-District team is conducted by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Emory's representatives are District 5 selections from Division III institutions comprised from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

The honor is awarded annually to student athletes who have excelled both academically and athletically.  To be eligible, a nominee must have reached sophomore academic and athletic standing at his/her current institution, carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.3 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) and be a starter or key reserve.

By virtue of being selected to the Academic All-District Team, File and Forte will advance to the national ballot for the Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.