FMU’s Bendle earns All-District Academic Softball Honors

Francis Marion University senior centerfielder Lakyn Bendle has been selected to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine® Academic All-District III (College Division) women's softball team.

This awards program is conducted by the College Sports Information Directors of America, and District III includes Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and North and South Carolina.

Bendle, a native of Amsterdam, Ohio, was named to the 13-player second-team All-District squad.
Bendle earned a B.S. degree in psychology at the recent FMU spring commencement ceremony. She concluded her undergraduate work with a 3.87 grade point average and graduated magna cum laude.
In addition to playing softball, Bendle is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Psi Chi, and Chi Alpha Sigma honor societies. She was a three-time NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete (with this year’s award yet to be handed out), and she earned the Psychology Award at FMU’s recent Academic Awards Day ceremony. She was named to the Peach Belt Conference Presidential Honor Roll three times and the FMU Swamp Fox Athletic-Academic Honor Roll four times, and earned a Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award for 2007-08.

A four-year starter, she was named to the recent first-team PBC All-Academic Softball Team.
On the playing field this past spring, she batted .255 with 24 runs scored, two home runs, and 17 runs batted in. Batting in the No. 2 position in the Patriot lineup, she was among the national leaders in sacrifice bunts with 24, while leading FMU with nine stolen bases (in nine attempts).
One of the best defensive outfielders in the Peach Belt, she committed only one error in 49 fielding chances.

She ended her career as the PBC’s all-time leader in sacrifices with 62.
Bendle is a product of Edison High School where she was a two-time All-Ohio (Division II), OVAC Player of the Year, and All-Eastern District selection.