AUSTIN, Texas – Kenna Mayfield and Ellie Facklam were named as NAIA Academic All-Americans by the College Sports Communicators on Tuesday, for their hard work in the classroom, as well as the softball diamond in the 2025 season. Mayfield earned first team honors while Facklam rounded out honorees with a second team award.
Kenna Mayfield, a local Ozark, Mo., native, finished her strong 2025 season with a .427 batting average, as well as a team high 65 runs scored, the most in a single season in Evangel history. Mayfield also swiped 63 stolen bases in 2025, breaking the single season record at Evangel.
A Springfield, Mo., native, Ellie Facklam finished a dominant 2025 campaign with a team high .450 batting average, striking out just eight times in 189 at bats. Facklam also finished her season with 53 RBIs and a team high 85 hits, earning the NFCA Rawlings Gold Glove award for her play at third base defensively, the highest fielding honor in the nation.
This is both Mayfield and Facklam's first time earning the Academic All-American honor, which is voted on by NAIA Sports Information Directors.
23 athletes earned the Academic All-American honor, with the first team having an average GPA of 3.825.
The NAIA Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NAIA national governance structure to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2024-25 NAIA Academic All-America® program.
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes softball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.
