SALT LAKE CITY – The No. 15-nationally seeded University of Utah softball team had three student-athletes placed on the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District Team on Tuesday, as outfielders Haley Denning and Jordyn Gasper and catcher Kendall Lundberg were recognized for their success not only on the softball diamond but in the classroom.
Denning, Gasper and Lundberg now advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot, with those award recipients being announced in June.
A senior from Phoenix, Arizona and studying emergency management, Denning made history this season as the first Utah softball player to be named All-Pac-12 Second-Team for three straight seasons. She has led the Pac-12 in stolen bases each of the last three seasons, and needs just five stolen bases to reach 100 in her career. The past Pac-12 All-Academic honoree enters the NCAA Tournament ranked sixth in the Pac-12 in hits and seventh in runs scored. She has started all 50 games for the Utes.
Gasper, a senior from Valencia, California, is a history major and has been previously named to both the Pac-12 All-Academic Team and Academic Honor Roll. This season, she has appeared in 39 games with 17 starts and ranks third in the Pac-12 with three triples. She has scored 18 runs, driven in five and is a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen bases.
Lundberg is a sophomore and came to the Utes from Lakewood, California. The education major hit .370 during Pac-12 Conference play in 2023, ranking second on the team. She finished the regular season on a six-game hitting streak, helping Utah to a three-game sweep on the road against Oregon. Lundberg is hitting .305 for the season with five doubles, three homers and 15 RBI.
Utah is preparing for its 17th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and hosts regional competition at Dumke Family Softball Stadium beginning Friday, May 19. The Utes will face Southern Illinois in a 1:30 p.m. MT game. Complete details on the Salt Lake City Regional are available by clicking here.
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