A school-record 13 members of the Bowling Green State University softball team have been named to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team, announced by the league office on Monday.

The Falcons’ list includes Ally Bezjak, Hannah Davies, Peyton Dolejs, Sarah Gonzalez, Payton Gottshall, Payton Hamm, Madison Hendrix, Kiara Hurley, Greta L’Esperance, Marlie McNulty, Sydney Stepp, Sophie Weber and Reagan Williamson.

BGSU’s 13 honorees to this year’s team tied the Falcons for the highest total in the MAC, along with Northern Illinois.

Gonzalez and Hamm each were named to the Academic All-MAC Team for the third time in their respective BGSU careers, as both seniors earned the honor in 2019 and 2021. The conference office did not name an Academic All-MAC Team for softball in 2020.

Davies, Gottshall, L’Esperance, Stepp and Weber each earn the honor for the second-straight season.

The Falcons’ 13 student-athletes named to the squad this season breaks the school record of 12 honorees last season, and marks the third consecutive time BGSU has set a new school record.

BGSU had 11 student-athletes earn Academic All-MAC honors in 2019, nine in 2017 and seven in both 2002 and 2015, with six Falcons making the team in 2016 and ‘18. If the current criteria had been in place in 2011, the Falcons would have had eight student-athletes named to that year’s team.

The Academic All-MAC team honor is bestowed upon a student-athlete who has excelled in both athletics and academics. To qualify, the student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50% of the team’s contests for that particular sport. First-year students and junior-college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.

The Falcons finished the 2022 season with a 34-21 (.618) overall record and a 16-11 (.593) MAC ledger, good for fourth place in the 11-team league. BGSU’s total of 34 victories was the program’s highest in a decade, and the Falcons’ overall and league-only winning percentages also were the best since 2012.

The Falcons qualified for the 2022 MAC Tournament and advanced to the championship game. Then, BG participated in national postseason play, heading to Fort Collins, Colorado, and winning two games in the National Invitational Softball Championship. Those wins, over Stephen F. Austin and George Washington, were the first national postseason victories in BGSU softball history.