RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-America Softball teams were announced on Wednesday evening and Conference Carolinas had three student-athletes earn the honor.

Kylie Emanuele of Mount Olive was named to the first team at third base while teammate Courtlynn Cooney Jr. was a third team selection in the outfield. Rikkelle Miller of King was named to the second team at utility.

A 2022 D2CCA First Team All-Region and NFCA All-American selection, Emanuele led Conference Carolinas in hitting this season with a .484 average (77-for-157), a .889 slugging percentage and 82 RBIs. She was named the 2022 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and was named to the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Year Top 25 award list. A junior infielder from Corona, Calif., Emanuele finished the season with 21 doubles, two triples and a school record 13 home runs. She also scored 45 times and was 21-for-21 on the bases. Her 82 RBIs lead all of Division II, while her average is third-best and doubles are sixth.

A senior catcher/infielder from Fayetteville, Ga., Miller hit .383 on the season and her solo home run in the 2022 Conference Carolinas Softball Championship gave the Tornado a 1-0 victory to secure the title. She ranks fourth in the southeast region with 15 home runs, sixth in hits (69), eighth in slugging percentage (.756), 10th in RBIs (49) and 13th in doubles (16). She also owns an OPS of 1.193. Miller was also selected to the 2022 Conference Carolinas Softball All-Tournament Team.

A 2022 D2CCA All-Region selection, Cooney was a 2022 Conference Carolinas First Team All-Conference outfielder and hit .442, second on the team for the Trojans and third-most overall in Conference Carolinas. A junior outfielder from Mechanicsville, Md., Cooney led the conference in runs scored (65) and stolen bases (46-of-47). She slugged .553 with a 1.034 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) with 11 doubles, five triples and 33 RBIs. She currently ranks fifth in the NCAA in runs scored and stolen bases.

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A native of Singapore, Kong was chosen as the 2019-20 Murphy Osborne Scholar-Athlete Award winner. A senior double-major in Biochemistry and Psychology at Converse, Kong owned a 3.82 grade-point average. She collected a total of 12 wins in her career at No. 1 singles. She was named the Conference Carolinas Women’s Tennis Player of the Week on March 10, 2020 and Feb. 20, 2019. 

A senior Psychology major from Jacksonville, N.C., Moncrief was chosen as the 2020 Conference Carolinas Scholar-Athlete of the Year in indoor and outdoor track & field. She was also selected to the Academic All-District® Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Team selected by CoSIDA in 2020. She is now a two-time Academic All-District choice. Moncrief boasted a 3.857 grade-point average. She collected 18 all-conference honors in her illustrious career.

The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. 

All conference-level nominees are forwarded to the Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will then choose the top 10 honorees in each division. The top 30 honorees will be unveiled in September. 

From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the three finalists in each division. The members of the Committee on Women’s Athletics will then vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year. 

All school and conference nominees receive an NCAA certificate and will be recognized on ncaa.org. On Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020, the top 30 honorees will be honored, and the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced.

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