Braner earns national academic honor

OLIVET, Mich. – Olivet College senior infielder Anna Braner (Belmond, Iowa/Marshall) has been named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Softball College Division first-team, as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). She earned Academic All-America® honors after being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District IV first-team.

An insurance and risk management major, Braner had a 3.98 grade point average. She started every game for the Comets at third base and broke the single-season record with a .459 batting average (50-for-109) and 40 runs scored. Braner also had a team-high 14 doubles, 26 RBI, 80 total bases, .734 slugging percentage, .516 on-base percentage and 18 stolen bases.

Braner also ended an outstanding career on the softball diamond. She is first all-time at Olivet in runs scored (95), doubles (28) and stolen bases (37). Braner also ranks in the top five in walks (3rd, 43); total bases (3rd, 172); batting average (4th, .365); slugging percentage (4th, .555); home runs (4th, seven); and RBI (4th, 57).

Braner is only the third Olivet student-athlete to earn first-team Academic All-America® honors. The others were Travis Sleight in 2005 and Dustin Meisner in 2007 and 2008. She is just the 11th to be named to an Academic All-America® team.

Braner is the daughter of Scott and Kathy Braner.

To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America® honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

ESPN The Magazine – winner of the 2006 and 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence – is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized biweekly with a circulation of 1.9 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.