Loughman, Swierz named Academic All-OAC for 2019 Softball campaign

May 21, 2019

By Blake Moore

ADA — Senior infielder Hailee Loughman (Brookville) and junior outfielder Alicia Swierz (Deerfield/Southeast) have been named Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference for the 2019 softball season, the league office announced Tuesday morning.

To receive Academic All-OAC honors, student-athletes must be a sophomore-or-higher in academic standing, maintain varsity-level status during the season, and own a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade-point average.

The OAC office recognized 417 student-athletes from the league's 10 member institutions in 10 sports this spring for their commitment to academic excellence. In all, Ohio Northern had 57 student-athletes honored with the award.

Loughman, a history and social studies major, received her third consecutive Academic All-OAC nod following a stellar senior season.

In the 2019 campaign, Loughman led ONU and ended fifth in the conference with a .433 batting average. In addition, she led the Polar Bear offense with 55 hits, 14 doubles, a .493 on-base percentage, and a .630 slugging percentage while ranking second on the team with 34 RBI.

The Brookville native is currently tied for seventh in program history with 14 career home runs and ranks eighth all-time with 35 career doubles. She also stands 15th all-time with 143 base hits.

Loughman is a First-Team CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District 7 selection, a 2019 NFCA All-Central Region First-Team pick, a three-time All-OAC honoree, a 2019 OAC All-Tournament Team honoree, and a one-time OAC Hitter of the Week in her career at Ohio Northern.

Swierz, a third-year pharmacy student, garnered her second straight academic award after receiving similar honors in 2018.

The junior outfielder from Deerfield appeared in all 42 games for the Polar Bears this season, primarily in center field. She posted a career-high .328 batting average with 40 hits, 21 runs, 15 RBI, and a home run, leading her to All-OAC Honorable Mention kudos.

Through three seasons, Swierz owns a .292 career batting average, 80 hits, 38 RBI, 51 runs, and two home runs. She was also named to the NCAA Division III Notre Dame All-Regional Tournament Team during the Polar Bears' national tournament run in 2018.

Ohio Northern concluded the season with a 23-19 overall record and a 14-4 mark in the OAC, which finished second in the final conference standings. ONU then made its 24th appearance in the OAC Tournament, ending the season against Otterbein in the championship series.