Five members of the Francis Marion University softball team – graduate student pitcher and first baseman Jenna Walling, graduate student outfielder Mikaela Goss, senior second baseman Maddy Golka, senior outfielder Anderson Thrower, and senior shortstop Madalyn White – have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team for 2026.

Walling is a three-time honoree, while Goss, Thrower, and White are repeat winners.

Selected by CSC, the All-District Team recognizes the area's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions: NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.

All-District® honorees selected as finalists (Walling, Thrower, and White) advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot, with the Academic All-America® honorees to be announced in mid June.

Walling, a native of Johns Island, S.C., is studying in the University's Master of Business Administration program and owns a perfect 4.0 grade point average.  She earned her undergraduate degree in 2025, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in biology, finishing with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

She recently earned All-America honors from two different organizations, was named the D2CCA Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year and the Conference Carolinas Pitcher of the Year, and was tabbed as the Conference Carolinas Tournament MVP for the second year in a row.  She garnered the 2026 Conference Carolinas Elite 26 Award winner for softball, has been named to the Academic All-Conference Team three times, and been tabbed an NFCA/Easton All-America Scholar-Athlete three times.  She is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma national college athlete honor society, served two stints on the University's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and been placed on both the FMU Swamp Fox Athletic-Academic and Conference Carolinas Presidential honor rolls every one of her semesters.
 
Walling finished the 2026 season with a 27-8 pitching record with four saves, a 1.92 earned run average, and 207 strikeouts in 230.0 innings.  She is among the NCAA Division II leaders in complete games (school-record 31) and wins, and made 43 pitching appearances – equaling the second most in program history.  At the place, she batted .305 with team-leading totals of nine home runs and 55 runs batted in. 

Goss, a native of Fuquay-Varina, N.C., is also part of the MBA program at Francis Marion and owns a 3.889 GPA.  She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing (summa cum laude) last May.

She was an All-Conference selection in 2026 after batting .263 with 11 doubles and 26 RBIs and displaying one of the best outfield gloves in the region.

Goss is a three-time Academic All-Conference Team honoree, a three-time NFCA/Easton All-America Scholar-Athlete, and a member of Chi Alpha Sigma national college athlete honor society.  She twice earned Division II ADA Academic Achievement Awards, and has been named to the FMU Swamp Fox Athletic-Academic Honor Roll on every occasion and to the Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll six times.

Golka, a native of Wesley Chapel, Fla., recently graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in management (sports management) and a 3.913 GPA.

She hit .226 this past season with seven doubles, two homers, and 31 RBIs.  She was named to the Academic All-Conference Team in 2026 and tabbed as an NFCA/Easton All-America Scholar-Athlete in 2025.  She is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma national college athlete honor society, earned a Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award in 2025, and has been placed on both the FMU Swamp Fox Athletic-Academic and Conference Carolinas Presidential honor rolls everyone of her semesters.

Thrower, a native of Hanahan, S.C., earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biology (cum laude) earlier this month and finished with a 3.733 GPA.

She garnered first-team All-Region and first-team All-Conference recognition this season and was named to the 2026 Conference Carolinas All-Tournament Team.  She led the team with a .435 batting average, scored 43 runs, drove in 23, and stole 12 bases.  She safely reached base in 51 of 57 contests in 2026.
 
She was named to the Academic All-Conference Team three times, and earned NFCA/Easton All-America Scholar-Athlete honors three times.  She was inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma national college athlete honor society, earned a Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award twice, and was named to both the FMU Swamp Fox Athletic-Academic and Conference Carolinas Presidential honor rolls every semester.

White, a native of Currie, N.C., graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and a 3.756 GPA.

She earned first-team All-Region honors in 2026 and was named the Conference Carolinas 2026 Player of the Year.  Three times she has been named to the Academic All-Conference Team and twice she has garnered NFCA/Easton All-America Scholar-Athlete recognition.  She is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma national college athlete honor society, received a Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award in 2025, and has been placed on the FMU Swamp Fox Athletic-Academic Honor Roll six times and the Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll six times.

She hit .429 and registered a team-high 58 runs scored, 12 doubles, three triples, and 19 RBIs. She posted a .515 on-base percentage and stole 32 bases in 34 attempts.  She finished her career as the program's all-time leader in games played, runs scored, and hits.

This group helped lead the Patriots to a 47-13 record, equaling the second-most wins in program history.  FMU won its fourth consecutive conference tournament title and made its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance – and a second Super Regional appearance in as many years.  The Patriots were ranked eighth nationally in the most recent NFCA/GoRout Top 25 poll.

Walling is a graduate of First Baptist School, while Goss is a graduate of Harnett Central High School.  Golka is a product of Wesley Chapel High School, Thrower is a product of Hanahan High School, and White is a graduate of Heide Trask High School.