* ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Teams Release

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell seniors Alyson Intihar and Elise Menaker were each selected for a spot on the prestigious ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team announced on Wednesday. Intihar was a second-team pick, while Menaker was chosen to the third team. They were among four Big Red softball players who earned Academic All-District honors earlier this month, joining senior outfielder Devon March and junior pitcher/designated player Ali Tomlinson.

Intihar, a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year in softball, helped the Big Red to a pair of Ivy League titles and NCAA tournament appearances in her four-year career. The three-time first-team All-Ivy pick and a three-time NFCA all-region selection, Intihar established 12 single-season and career records while starting all 205 career games for the Big Red. She will graduate as the school and the conference's career leader in hits (257) and runs scored (175) and in the top 10 in batting average (.377) and doubles (47). Intihar is also widely regarded as one of the top defensive players at any position in the Ancient Eight. The two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team member batted .367 with 69 hits, 42 runs scored and a .406 on-base percentage. The team captain slugged seven doubles and a pair of home runs while driving in 18. Intihar was the toughest player in Division I to strike out this season, going down just twice in 188 at bats. She led the conference in hits, finished second in runs, third in batting average, fifth in total bases (84) and seventh in on-base percentage. Off the diamond, she  is a member of Cornell's 400 Club, the President of Red Key Athletic Honorary Society and has been an Academic All-Ivy selection, all the while posting a 3.72 grade point average in applied economics and management.

Menaker is another record-setting player at Cornell, as the three-time first-team All-Ivy pick has the career record for doubles (53) and ranks in the top five all-time in home runs (second, 37), slugging percentage (second, .643), RBI (second, 188), runs scored (third, 156) and batting average (fourth, .363). She ranked second nationally in Division I in doubles (20) this season, a school and Ivy season record. She also has committed just five errors at third base with a sensational .964 fielding percentage. In the classroom, Menaker has a 3.74 GPA in communication.

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. For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.