Moon Township, Pa. - A pair of Robert Morris University softball players were named to the ESPN The Magazine District II Academic All-America Team Thursday, as junior infielder Susan Perich (Center, Pa. / Center) and junior outfielder Brooke Panepinto (Belle Vernon, Pa. / Belle Vernon) were bestowed the honor by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).   

Perich, in her third season as the starting third baseman, carries a 3.78 cumulative grade point average as an elementary education major. On the 2008 campaign she is hitting .315 in 46 games and ranks second on the club in doubles (8) and third in RBI (22) while owning four home runs and a slugging percentage of .472.  

Panepinto roams center field for the Colonials and owns a cumulative grade point average of 3.53 as a marketing major. So far this season she has hit .359 with a team-high nine home runs while also leading RMU in runs (30) and ranking second in RBI (26). Her nine round trippers is tied for the second highest single-season total in school history, and entering the 2008 Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament Panepinto owns a career batting average of .353, which would establish a new Colonial career record.  

In order to be eligible for All-District Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00. The student-athlete must have reached sophomore eligibility and academic standing at the institution and must have completed at least one full academic year.

CoSIDA's District II covers Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. By being named to the ESPN The Magazine District II Academic All-America Team, Perich and Panepinto will have their names placed on the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration. 

Robert Morris, led by 18th-year head coach Craig Coleman, M.D., owns an overall record of 28-18 and enters the 2008 NEC Tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Colonials will square off with No. 3 seed and in-state rival Saint Francis (Pa.) Friday, May 8, at 12:30 p.m. in Brooklyn, N.Y. The tournament is being hosted by Long Island, the 2008 NEC regular-season champion.