Softball 6/10/2002 4:53:00 PM Southern Conference UTC's Alexander Earns Academic All-America Honors HATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Chattanooga pitcher Beth Alexander has become thefirst Lady Mocs softball player to be named to the Verizon AcademicAll-America Team. Alexander, who was the Southern Conference Pitcher of theYear the last two seasons, earned Second Team Academic All-America honorsand was the only Southern Conference player honored.A senior from East Ridge, Tenn., Alexander sports a 3.607 GPA in Educationwith an emphasis in secondary English. She helped lead the Lady Mocs to athird-place finish in the NCAA Regional and a No. 27 ranking in the nationin the final USA Today/NFCA Softball Poll. Alexander's 1.07 ERA and 25-7record were tops in the SoCon this season and she was ranked nationally allyear in ERA and wins. She is Chattanooga's career leader in strikeouts,wins, appearances and innings pitched."Beth is continuing a tradition that is very important to Chattanoogasoftball and that is a high academic and athletic standard for ourathletes," said Lady Mocs softball coach Frank Reed. "I am proud of herathletic accomplishments, but I am more pleased about her academicaccomplishments, which will go with her forever. This gives us a good basisto show others the kind of accomplishments a team and individuals can havehere."Alexander has been named to UTC's Dean's List every semester since sheentered Chattanooga in the fall of 1998. She achieved a 4.0 GPA in the Fallof 2001 and never had a semester GPA below 3.5."The award came as no surprise, and yet I realize the impact of this honorfor her," said UTC academic advisor Molly Kotarski. "Beth has always been astudent who has been interested in achievements, and she made sure all theprofessors knew she was an athlete and a serious scholar. This a tributenot only to her personal development, but it's a tribute to Coach Reed andthe entire softball team."Alexander is the first Chattanooga athlete to be named Verizon AcademicAll-America since tennis star Ivan Poullaos in 1998. She is the firstSouthern Conference softball player to receive such an honor since Furman'sJulie Glasser in 1997.