May 9, 2008

SEATTLE - University of Washington softball players Caitlin Noble and Ashlyn Watson have been named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII selections. Noble was named to the first team for the second time in her career, while Watson earned her first all-district recognition and was named to the second team.

Noble, a senior from Sammamish, Wash., carries a 3.46 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in History. She earned first team honors in 2006 and was a second team pick a year ago. She is fifth all-time at the UW in strikeouts and ranks 35th on the NCAA career list with 9.1 strikeouts per seven innings.

Watson has a 3.23 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in Speech and Hearing Sciences. The junior from Garden Grove, Calif., is second on the team with five home runs, including a grand slam in the Huskies 6-3 win over then top-ranked Alabama on March 1.

Washington, ranked No. 24 in the latest NFCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, closes out the regular season with three games at Oregon this weekend, starting with a 1:30 p.m. doubleheader today.