Cullowhee, N.C. – Five members of the Western Carolina University softball program were selected among an elite list of NCAA Division I student-athletes on Tuesday afternoon, each named to the 2026 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team.
Senior catcher Taylor Waitley, along with juniors in second baseman Lily Bell and outfielder Sydney Dirks, and a pair of sophomores in right-handed pitcher Amanda Fulton and outfielder Courtney Marks, each collected the academic honor.
Bell was also included on the CSC Academic All-America team ballot for consideration for the national honor, which will be announced on June 16, 2026.
WCU's five honorees, the maximum number allowed to be nominated this season, mark the third straight season the Catamounts have had five honorees and the fourth consecutive year with four or more selections. Waitley joins a select list with her third honor, joining Taylor Sigmon (2014-16) and Madison Armstrong (2017-19).
The 2026 Academic All-District® Softball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC), recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes softball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot.
Taylor Waitley compiled a 4.00 cumulative GPA as a double major in biology with a pre-health concentration and a minor in chemistry and forensic sciences with a biology concentration. The Catamount backstop has been named to the league's honor roll and received the commissioner's medal throughout her time in Cullowhee, while also receiving recognition on the chancellor's and dean's lists throughout her tenure at WCU.
The Laurinburg, N.C., native closed her career with an impressive stat line in 2026, with 57 hits with seven doubles, three home runs, and a triple with 33 RBIs and scoring 38 runs, setting career benchmarks in each category. She also totaled a team-high eight sacrifice bunts, along with eight stolen bases. She had 13 multi-hit games, seven multi-RBI games, and seven games with two or more runs scored. Five of her multi-hit games came in league play against Samford and Mercer in two separate matchups and ETSU. Waitley also threw nine would-be base stealers out for WCU.
Courtney Marks received her first-ever CSC All-District honors, boasting a 3.97 cumulative GPA as a double major in marketing and management with a Spanish minor. In her young academic career, Marks has made the SoCon's honor roll and received the Commissioner's medal, along with being recognized by WCU on the Dean's & Chancellor's List each semester.
On the field, Marks played in 55 games with 54 starts as the Wesley Chapel, Fla. native patrolled centerfield for much of 2026, for a second-straight season. She totaled 35 hits with 32 runs scored and 11 RBIs to go along with 19 walks and five sacrifice bunts with five steals. Marks recorded five double-digit hit performances against Lipscomb, NCCU, College of Charleston, Presbyterian, and Robert Morris, and a multi-RBI performance against NCCU. In the field, she totaled a .985 fielding percentage with six assists and just one error.
Lily Bell holds a 3.97 cumulative grade point average as a double major in business administration & law and marketing. She was one of four Catamounts to appear in all 58 games for the Purple & Gold and one of three to start all 58 contests. She received SoCon Academic Honor Roll and Commissioner medal honors throughout her tenure at WCU, while garnering dean's list and chancellor's list throughout her time in Cullowhee. Tuesday's honor marks her second career CSC plaudit.
Bell continued her strong offensive work at the dish for a third-straight season, finishing with a school-record 79 hits, surpassing her previous benchmark of 75 set in 2025. She tied for the league lead with 53 runs and set a conference-high with 26 stolen bases. Her .383 seasonal batting average finished the season in a tie for fifth in the SoCon as she paced the squad with a team-best .411 batting average in 21 SoCon games with a team-best 30 hits, ranking second in the league.
The Woodstock, Ga. native tallied at least one hit in 46 games and 25 multi-hit contests. She will enter her senior season on a 16-game hitting streak, batting .567 (34-of-60) down the stretch, and she recorded hits in 30 of her final 33 games.
Bell has continued to etch her name in the program's record books. She enters her senior season with the program's top career batting average (.406) and on-base percentage (.463), while setting the school career record with 226 hits, becoming the first in program history to eclipse 200 hits in 2026. She also holds the school's career record holder with 141 runs scored and 88 career stolen bases.
Sydney Dirks has a 3.89 GPA as a psychology major and a minor in criminal justice. She's earned SoCon Academic Honor Roll honors throughout her time at Western Carolina, and each semester has been named to the WCU Dean's List and Chancellor's List. Like Bell, Dirks is a two-time CSC Academic All-District recipient.
Dirks was part of one of the best 3-4 combos in the league, batting .342 with 66 hits, including 11 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs, while scoring 42 runs with 57 RBIs, tied for fourth in the league. Her 66 hits and 15 homers ranked her sixth in the SoCon. She finished seventh with her runs scored, tied for 10th in doubles, and placed ninth with a .653 slugging percentage.
Dirks connected on one of the team's six grand slams as part of the team's conference-high 73 homers, as Dirks, Maya McPherson, Tate Stewman, Amari Burce, and Becka Wonsick each had grand slams. Her best hit streak came in a nine-game stretch with a .406 average, including 13 hits, 10 RBIs, and four homers in mid-March. She opened her season with a six-RBI performance that included a homer and double while totaling 25 RBIs in the opening month.
Right-hander Amanda Fulton holds a 3.86 cumulative GPA as an integrated health sciences major with a pre-professional concentration in physical therapy. Fulton has been honored with the SoCon Academic Honor Roll, along with the league's Commissioner's medal in 2025-26. She's also been recognized on the Dean's List and Chancellor's List multiple times at WCU.
The Woodstock, Ga. native helped the Catamounts to the second-most wins in school history, posting 16 victories in the circle, the second-most wins in the SoCon. She also finished third in the league with 164 strikeouts to pair with a league-best 17 complete games over 180.1 innings to pace the SoCon.
The ace of the Catamount pitching staff, Fulton appeared in 37 games in the circle with 23 starts. In March, Fulton went 6-1 with a team-best 2.81 ERA over 13 outings, seven starts, and five complete games. She struck out 54 and collected two saves before closing the regular season with a 5-3 mark and a 2.48 ERA along with eight starts and 50 strikeouts. In SoCon play, she earned six wins with 57 strikeouts over 74.1 innings to pace WCU in 21 league contests.
To date, Western Carolina has placed 24 student-athletes on the CSC Academic All-District team across seven different sports – six apiece from football and women's soccer, five from softball, four from volleyball, and one each from men's and women's basketball, along with women's tennis. Later this spring, the all-district teams for baseball, golf, track and field, and cross country will be announced.
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Western Carolina Academic All-District Team Honorees:
2013 – Haley Pace
2014 – Taylor Sigmon
2015 – Taylor Sigmon
2016 – Taylor Sigmon
2017 – Madison Armstrong
2018 – Madison Armstrong
2019 – Madison Armstrong
2020 – Erica Hayes
2023 – Jayme Eilers, Natalie Henry, Makenzie Martin, Samantha Reele
2024 – Savannah Baldwin, Makenzie Martin, Jeralynn Wells, Taylor Waitley, Tate Stewman
2025 – Lily Bell, Sydney Dirks, Taylor Waitley, Rylee Butler, Becka Wonsick
2026 – Lily Bell, Amanda Fulton, Sydney Dirks, Courtney Marks, Taylor Waitley
