LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Thirty-six student-athletes from 24 different schools have been voted to one of two 2024 NFCA NAIA All-America teams, the Association revealed on Thursday afternoon.
Nine of the 10 teams who advanced to the NAIA World Series had players earn All-America status, including Central Methodist University and Oklahoma City University, who tied for the most honorees by any institution with four each.
First-time national champion Our Lady of the Lake University led a group of six schools with two All-America selections, which included fellow World Series participants Madonna University, Oregon Institute of Technology and University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma. Others with two winners were Marian University Indianapolis and Midland University.
Sixteen teams had one player each honored, including World Series runner-up Jessup, fifth-place finisher University of the Cumberlands and ninth-place team Georgia Gwinnett College.
Regions IV and VI had the most selections of any region with eight apiece, followed by Region III with seven, Region I with five, and Regions II and V with four.
Cottey College senior Lauren Johnson is the 2024 Diamond Sports/NFCA NAIA Catcher of the Year as the first-team player at that position. She batted .393 for the Comets this season, with 48 runs, 59 hits, 15 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs and 49 runs batted in. On defense, she gunned down six runners attempting to steal and made just five errors in 213 fielding chances (165 putouts, 43 assists, .977 fielding percentage) behind the plate.
Avila University senior outfielder Chelsea Kurtz earned the New Balance/NFCA Golden Shoe award as the NAIA’s most prolific base stealer this season. She led the nation with 80 steals, which was 17 more than second place Morgan Yeater of Indiana Wesleyan, who had 63. Kurtz was successful on 96.4 percent of her attempts (83) and averaged 1.51 steals over her 53 games.
This is the second season since the renaming of the first-team Utility/Pitcher award to honor the late Joan Joyce, an NFCA Hall of Famer and pioneer of women’s sports. Spring Arbor University senior Emmalee Hamp earned that distinction in 2024, batting a team-best .519 with 56 runs, 96 hits, 18 doubles, eight triples, eight home runs, 42 runs batted in, a .832 slugging percentage and 1.399 OPS. She also excelled in the circle, with a 22-11 record, 2.07 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, seven shutouts, two saves, 60 walks and 197 strikeouts over 206.1 innings.
The NFCA All-America teams are voted on by the Association’s All-America Committees. In NAIA, the committee is comprised of one member head coach from each of the NAIA’s six regions. All student-athletes who were nominated by a member head coach and voted to the first or second team All-Region squads were eligible for All-America consideration.
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