For the second consecutive year the Calvin University softball team lands five athletes on the Academic All-District team by the College Sports Communication (CSC) on Tuesday.
 
Carly Dole (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Mt. Pleasant), Natalie Bush (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian), Emma Ludema (Martin, Mich./Martin), Emily Sweetland (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline), and Aubrey Herder (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Christian) each received the honor for the Knights.
 
To qualify for nomination for Academic All-District, student-athletes must meet the following qualifications:

• Sophomore athletically or higher
• 3.50 cumulative grade point average (GPA) or higher
• Been enrolled in the institution for at least one calendar year
• Starter or key reserve
• Played at least 50 percent of their team's games in the 2026 season

 
Carly Dole
Dole earned CSC Academic All-District honors for the – time in her career after starting every game for the Knights in the outfield. She finished her senior season with a batting average of .343 while leading the team in hits with 40 including seven home runs.
 
The chemistry major recorded a GPA of 3.67 and has appeared on the Calvin Dean's List six times during her career and the MIAA Academic List twice.
 
Natalie Bush
Junior Bush earned CSC Academic All-District honors for the first time in her career after having a breakout year in her first season with the Knights. She led Calvin in multiple statistical categories including RBIs (97), total bases (97), slugging percentage (.678), and home runs (11).
 
Bush finished the year with a 3.69 GPA while majoring in nursing, making her first appearances in the Calvin Dean's List and the MIAA Academic List.
 
Emma Ludema
Ludema earned CSC Academic All-District honors for the second time in her career after a strong senior year in the circle. She finished the season with a record of 12-3 while notching 56 strikeouts in 112.1 innings pitched. 
 
Ludema finished year four with a 3.77 GPA while majoring in business finance while making eight appearances in the Calvin Dean's List and three appearances on the MIAA Academic List.
 
Emily Sweetland
Junior second baseman Sweetland earns CSC Academic All-District honors for the second time in her career. She started every game for the Knights and finished with a batting average of .260 and 34 hits.
 
Sweetland finished her junior year with a GPA of 3.88 and is a six-time Calvin Dean's List member.
 
Aubrey Herder
Herder finished her junior year by earning CSC Academic All-District honors for the second time after starting every game at shortstop for the Knights this season. She posted a batting average of .330 while notching 35 hits and 30 RBIs. 
 
The kinesiology major finished her junior year with an overall GPA of 3.88 and has made multiple appearances on the Calvin Dean's List. 
 
The five Calvin honorees helped the Knights to a 32-15 overall record and an appearance in the NCAA DIII Tournament Regional round.