BALTIMORE – UMBC Softball All-American Pitcher Courtney Coppersmith (York, Pa.) has announced that she has been accepted into the Chemistry PhD program at UMBC and will return to the softball program for her final year of eligibility in Spring 2023.

Coppersmith will be one of a few Student-Athletes in NCAA history to participate in a sport while simultaneously working on a PhD.

"I know it is going to be a huge challenge, but the reward is going to be so great," said Coppersmith. "I really want to make a difference in the world and I know I have an amazing mentor to look up to and learn from who believes in me. My academics have always been just as important, if not more than athletics, so I am thankful that Dr. Seley-Radtke and Coach Kuhlmeyer are willing to work with me and how difficult the softball/school schedule will be so that I don't have to sacrifice either of them." 

She will be pursuing a PhD in Chemistry with an Organic Focus under the direction of Dr.Kathie Seley-Radtke, who is also the President of the International Society for Antiviral Research.  

UMBC's all-time leader in strikeouts is also an Academic All-American and a three-time America East Pitcher of the Year. She finished this season with her third-consecutive sub-1.00 ERA and graduated in May with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a double minor in Emergency Health Services and Philosophy 

"We are excited to have Courtney back for her fifth year here at UMBC," said head coach Chris Kuhlmeyer. "She has been an important part in the success and growth of our program over the past 4 years.  She has accomplished so much on the field, but those all fail in comparison to what she has accomplished off the field, in the classroom, the impact she has made in the UMBC community, and being an outspoken advocate for the mental health of student-athletes here and across the country. These are all different things that make up who Courtney is and I know her teammates are excited to have one more ride with her this coming year."

Coppersmith has also been an instrumental part of the UMBC and national athletics community, as she was finalist for the Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior or graduate student and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: classroom, community, character, and competition.

"The UMBC Softball program has achieved incredible things over the past few years, and it is exciting to know that Courtney will be back; she's been a key part of the core that has delivered three straight championships," said UMBC Director of Athletics Brian Barrio. "Her next steps academically are even more exciting - she'll be taking on a challenge in the classroom that few active student-athletes ever have. Most importantly, on a personal level, I look forward to spending another year with a really special young person."

She will begin her research with Dr. Seley-Radtke this summer

"I couldn't be more thrilled that Courtney decided to pursue a PhD with me in my research group," said Dr.Seley-Radtke. "I had Courtney in class for the past two semesters. She took both my Biomedicinal/Drug Design course and my Advanced Medicinal Chemistry course. Not only was she an outstanding student in both, but in my Advanced course, which is student driven discussions based on literature papers reporting hot topics related to drugs and disease, she really brought great opinions to the lively discussions.Given that Courtney really wants to pursue a career in medicinal chemistry, I think working in my group will be a fantastic start to her future career goals and we can't wait for her to start this summer!"

Coppersmith helped lead the UMBC Softball team to its third-straight America East title last month, and will be pitching at a newly renovated The Diamond at UMBC this spring.