GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Colorado Mesa University's Ally Distler has been named as the 2025 NCAA Division II Softball Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year, as selected by College Sports Communicators, it was announced by the organization on Tuesday.  She is the first Maverick softball player to ever earn the prestigious honor as the top student-athlete in all Division II softball determined by a vote of CSC members.
 
Distler was also a repeat First Team Academic All-America® selection and is now the Mavs' first 3-time overall honoree.  She previously had earned second team honors as a sophomore in 2022 before redshirting due to injury in 2023.
 
A native of Littleton, Colorado, Distler has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA in all five of her years at CMU.  Distler completed her bachelor's degree in psychology in 2024 and is now pursuing a graduate degree in physical therapy.
 
She was named as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's Academic Player of the Year for the third straight season this year and also won her second consecutive RMAC Summit Award for having the highest GPA of any student-athlete competing in the RMAC Tournament.
 
The catcher and utility player started all 57 of the Mavs' games in 2025 and hit 16 home runs in 2025 and finished her Maverick career with 60 to rank second in program history.  She also finished with 208 career RBIs, fourth most in program history, while helping lead the Mavericks to three Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances.  In 2025, she finished fourth in the RMAC statistics with 56 RBIs and was third in home runs as the Mavericks went 40-17 while advancing to the RMAC Tournament Championship game and the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament.
 
Distler was named to the Second Team All-South Central Region by both the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) this year and was a 3-time all-region pick by both organizations throughout her career.  She also earned Second Team D2CCCA All-America honors in 2024 and was a 4-time First Team All-RMAC selection.
 
The 2025 NCAA Division II Academic All-District® teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, which recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the courts and in the classroom.
 
NiJaree Canady, who led Texas Tech to the Championship Series of the Women's College World Series, was the NCAA Division I winner.  Jen Kuhn of Illinois Wesleyan was the Division III winner while Annalise Jarvis of Georgia Gwinnett received the NAIA award.