Capping off a tremendous college career, Cicero-North Syracuse graduate Lucia Meola was named to the Division III All-American team for the third straight year after a successful senior season at Cortland State.
The All-American team, put together by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and sponsored by Louisville Slugger, was named prior to the Division III World Series in Eau Claire, Wis.
Meola, a starter in all 52 games this spring for the Red Dragons, batted a team-high .440 with 16 doubles, three home runs, 33 RBIs, 42 runs scored and 31 walks. She also recorded a .969 fielding percentage with just seven errors in 228 total chances.
In addition, Meola set a school single-season record with her 31 walks. Her 70 hits this season are fourth-best in school history and her 16 doubles are tied for fourth.
In her four-year career with the Red Dragons, Meola played in 196 games, 194 as a starter. She batted .385 with 46 doubles, six triples, eight homers, 121 RBIs, 155 runs scored and 82 walks. She is Cortland State’s career leader in walks, ranks second in hits (230), doubles and runs, is tied for second in games played and ranks fourth in RBIs.
Cortland State went 35-17 this season, winning the SUNYAC Tournament and moving from there to the NCAA Division III tournament, where the Red Dragons outlasted College of New Jersey, Western Connecticut State and Lebanon Valley, defeating the latter 7-0 in the regional final.
Then, in the College World Series in Eau Claire, Meola and her Red Dragons began with wins over Salisbury (2-1) and Luther (9-1), only to fall to Tufts 6-0. Facing elimination, Cortland State edged Salisbury 7-6 to reach the championship round, but fell to Tufts 6-5 in the title game after leading 5-3 in the fifth inning.
Meola’s older brother, Mike (also a C-NS graduate), is an assistant baseball coach at Brockport State, while her father coached the Syracuse East baseball team to an appearance in the Section III Class AA semifinals before it lost to eventual champion Baldwinsville.
