PHILADELPHIA -- For the fifth straight season, a Villanova softball player represented the squad on the PhillySIDA Academic All-Area list as junior Maranda Runco earned her second consecutive accolade on Wednesday morning.

It was another impressive campaign for the slugger out of Olyphant, Pa., who was named a back-to-back All-BIG EAST First Team member after breaking the program's single season walks record at the plate. The Mid Valley graduate led the team in home runs (nine), RBI (37), slugging percentage (.547), on-base percentage (.463) and OPS (1.010), and also made 14 appearances on the mound with over 27 innings pitched.

Academically, Runco holds a 3.54 as a Communication major with a concentration in Media Production and is well decorated for her prowess in the classroom. She was an inductee of VU's inaugural class of the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society, a four-time Athletic Director's Honor Roll, two-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team and once an Easton/NFCA Scholar-Athlete. 

She joins Tess Cites as Wildcats to earn multiple years of honors on the PhillySIDA list.