YEARLY CONFERENCE HONORS

2008 All-ACC First Team
Breanna Brown, North Carolina
Charisse Mariconda, Virginia Tech
Aileen Morales, Georgia Tech
Lisa Norris, North Carolina
Cassandra Palmer, North Carolina
Shanna Smith, NC State
Danielle Spaulding, North Carolina
Sarde Stewart, Maryland
Angela Tincher, Virginia Tech
Carly Wynn, Florida State

2008 All-ACC Second Team
Alyssa Allbritten, NC State
Jenny Belak, Maryland
Whitney Buckmon, Florida State
Whitney Haller, Georgia Tech
Kelsey Hoffman, Virginia Tech
Jennifer Jacobs, North Carolina
Amber Johnson, North Carolina
Tiffany McDonald, Florida State
Brittany Osmon, Florida State
Renee Ramos, Boston College
Jenna Rhodes, Virginia Tech
Carly Winger, Virginia

Connecticut junior Micah Truax collected her second-consecutive BIG EAST softball Player of the Year honor at the conference’s annual championship banquet held at the Marriot Downtown Louisville on May 7. DePaul sophomore Becca Heteniak was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, while USF freshman Capri Catalano took Rookie of the Year. USF garnered BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

First-team All-Conference
OF: Lisa Kingsmore, Winthrop
OF: Hope Creasy, Radford
OF: Tessa Thomas, Winthrop
1B: Mallory Hogan, Winthrop
2B: Jenn Everhart, Radford
3B: Vicki Madden, Radford
SS: Kristen Shifflett, Radford
Stephanie Reid, Winthrop
C: Sarah Himan, Radford
DP: JoLynn Smith, Winthrop
U: Shannon Keefe, Radford
P: Ashley Taylor, Radford
P: Megan Evans, Winthrop

Second Team All-Conference
OF: Jill Shondel, Charleston Southern
OF: Ashley Carlson, Radford
OF: Melissa Muehlenfeld, Birmingham-Southern
1B: Lindsay Creighton, Birmingham-Southern
2B: Grace Stokes, Birmingham-Southern
3B: Pearl Coleshill, Winthrop
C: Ashley Conway, Charleston Southern
DP: Ashley Williams, Liberty
U: Verity Long-Droppert, Coastal Carolina
P: Bethney Reynoldson, Birmingham-Southern
P: Cari Wooldridge, Winthrop

Academic All-Conference
Lisa Kingsmore, Winthrop
Lindsay Creighton, Birmingham-Southern
Brittany Birnbaum, Coastal Carolina
Ashley Conway, Charleston Southern
Hope Creasy, Radford
Beth Bennett, Liberty
Rachel Parker, Presbyterian

2008 ALL-CAA SOFTBALL TEAM

2008 CAA Player of the Year: Catherine Lee, Georgia State

The Mid-American Conference announced today at a special ceremony at the MAC Softball Tournament at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio the 2008 All-MAC teams, MAC All-Freshman team and the specialty award winners.

Kent State’s senior shortstop, Jessica Toocheck was tabbed as this season’s Player of the Year. Toocheck has started 209 career games, every Kent State game since her freshman season. She hit .397 in MAC play with six home runs. Overall she leads the Flashes with 10 home runs, four triples and 43 runs batted in. Toocheck’s 199 career hits are the second most in school history. Her 30 home runs and 128 runs scored are also second among Kent State’s career leaders, while her 109 runs batted in rank third. She recently earned the Janet Bachna Award as Kent State’s top female scholar athlete.

Teammate Kylie Reynolds was named Pitcher of the Year for the second year in a row, making her the first to achieve this mark. In 11 MAC starts, Reynolds finished 11-0 with a 0.47 ERA and a victory over all 11 MAC opponents. She also made four relief appearances in conference play, recording three saves. Reynolds finished with a 0.78 ERA in league play with six shutouts and 115 strikeouts. On the season she finished 21-4, winning 19 of her last 21 decisions, including each of her last 14 starts. She led the MAC with 242 strikeouts and nine total shutouts. She ranks third in career strikeouts at Kent State with 499 and eighth in victories with 35.

Joining her players is KSU head coach Karen Linder. Linder is just two wins shy of reaching 600 for her career. Linder earned 253 victories in 11 seasons at Ashland University and owns 344 wins in 12 seasons at Kent State. She has guided the Golden Flashes to three consecutive MAC East Division titles and two straight MAC regular season titles. She earned MAC Coach of the Year honors in 2004 and led the Flashes to a MAC Tournament championship in 2006. She has won more games than any coach in Kent State history. KSU’s 40 regular season wins and 20 conference wins tied for the most in school history.

Miami’s shortstop, Meghan Mawn was named as this year’s Freshman of the Year. Mawn becomes the RedHawks third freshman to achieve top honors and the first since 1991. She batted safely in 18 of 22 Mid-American Conference contests and compiled six multiple hit games during her freshman season. She had doubles in three consecutive games (April 4-6) while scoring 17 runs in conference play.

Miami tabbed a league high six players to the All-MAC teams. In addition to Mawn, the RedHawks were represented by first-teamers Sarah Billstrom (shortstop), Alicia Hogl (utility/non-pitcher), and Breanna Robinson (outfield). Miami second team members were Meredith Linch (pitcher) and Halle Popson (first base).

MAC West Division Champions Central Michigan had five players named to the All-MAC teams. Senior Amy Hudson (third base), junior Tracy Kaatz (outfield) and sophomore Kari Seddon (pitcher) were named to the first team, while Kate Greenman (utility/non-pitcher) and Brittini Merchant (shortstop) were named to the second team.

Along with Reynolds and Toocheck, KSU added senior Gabrielle Burns (pitcher) to the All-MAC first team and Heather Duhon (second base) to the third team.

Bowling Green and Western Michigan each had three players with All-MAC honors. For the Falcons Hayley Wiemer (utility/pitcher) and Allison Vallas (first base) tabbed first team honors while Dawnjene DeLong (shortstop) tabbed second team honors. Becky Bartosz (catcher) and Kyla Sullivan (pitcher) represented the Broncos on the first team and Lexi Jager (third base) on the second team.

Courtney Waters (outfield) led Ohio on the first team while teammate Michelle Sauter (pitcher) was tabbed with second team honors. Rounding out the second team was Abby Gross (catcher) and Elizabeth Milian (utility/pitcher) from Ball State. Jenny Scherer (outfield) and Ashley Strauss (first base) of Eastern Michigan, Erica Singer (outfield) and Leslie Stong (first base) of Toledo and Mary Russell (outfield) from Buffalo.

Joining Jager, Mawn and Merchant with MAC All-Freshman honors were Alicia Barkley and Kate Wilczynski of Ball State. Katelynn Boso of Bowling Green, Brittini, Merchant from Central Michigan, Stacie Skodinski of Eastern Michigan, Jessica Carmichael from Kent State and teammates Melissa Bonner and Emily Wethington of Ohio.

MEAC ANNOUNCES 2008 SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
By
May 7, 2008

Howard University outfielder Courtney Young was named the Player of the Year as the MEAC announced its 2008 All-Conference Softball honors during a pre-tournament banquet Wednesday night at the Center for Civic Engagement on the campus of Bethune-Cookman University.

For the second consecutive season Hampton University’s Amanda Black was selected as Pitcher of the Year and Jennifer Luper of North Carolina A&T State University garnered the Rookie of the Year honor. Head coach Mamie Jones, also of North Carolina A&T State, was named the MEAC Coach of the Year. All awards are voted on by the league’s head softball coaches and sports information directors.

Young led the MEAC in slugging percentage (.757) and hits per game (1.46) while boasting a .459 batting average for the Lady Bison. She is currently ranked seventh in the NCAA in batting average and 16th in doubles (12). Young’s short collegiate career has received notable recognition. In addition to this year’s Player of the Year award, last year she was selected as the MEAC’s Rookie of the Year and earned the Outstanding Performer honor after leading the Lady Bison to the 2007 championship title and first-ever berth to the NCAA tournament.

Black earned her second Pitcher of the Year honor after posting an 8-1 conference record with a 2.11 ERA. The junior right hander from Hamilton, Ontario is the only person to receive the pitching honor which began last season. Overall she racked up 18 wins, led the MEAC in strikeouts with 127 and averaged more innings (6.09) than any other pitcher this season.

North Carolina A&T’s Jennifer Luper was named the Rookie of the Year. The Fort Mill, South Carolina native posted an impressive pitching performance from the circle during her rookie campaign. Among conference opponents Luper finished 6-1 with a 2.62 ERA. She led the MEAC in wins with a 19-4 overall record (2.50 ERA) and ranked third in strikeouts with 99. Luper earned three weekly conference honors this season including two Pitcher of the Week accolades and one Rookie of the Week honor.

Mamie Jones was named Coach of the Year after guiding the Lady Aggies to a 31-15 overall record and 9-3 finish in the southern division. In her 15th season at the helm, Jones has guided the Lady Aggies to back-to-back 30+ win seasons, third overall, and finished in a tie for first place in the southern division. Since the 2002 season, Jones has been recognized for having one of the nation’s most outstanding academic teams. Under her leadership, several of her players have been recognized for being National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar Athletes for maintaining a 3.5 or above GPA. The NFCA also noted that the team’s overall GPA is one of the best in NCAA Division I.

Four teams led the MEAC with four student-athletes to earn post season honors including Delaware State, Hampton, Howard and North Carolina A&T State. North Carolina A&T State is the only institution to have all four of its players selected to the first team.

The 2008 MEAC Softball Championship Tournament begins at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 8 with Bethune-Cookman against Morgan State and Hampton facing interstate rival Norfolk State in games one and two. Howard drew Florida A&M for game three while North Carolina A&T will take on Delaware State in game four beginning at 1:30 p.m. The championship finale is set for Saturday, May 10 at 1 p.m.

Only the top four teams in each division can compete for the conference title. Coppin State (0-14), Maryland E. Shore (3-12), and South Carolina State (3-9) have been eliminated from post season play based on their conference finish.

Admission is $3 for children, students and seniors and $5 for adults.

2008 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Softball All-Conference Awards

Player of the Year
Courtney Young, Howard

Rookie of the Year
Jennifer Luper, North Carolina A&T State

Pitcher of the Year
Amanda Black, Hampton

Coach of the Year
Mamie Jones, North Carolina A&T State

FIRST TEAM
P Amanda Black Hampton
P Jennifer Luper North Carolina A&T
C Kristinia Condover Howard
INF Lillian Bullock North Carolina A&T
INF Jessica Chrabaszcz Delaware State
INF Yahamma White North Carolina A&T
INF Brittany Davis Hampton
OF Courtney Young Howard
OF Angela Balser Hampton
OF Chaola Simmons North Carolina A&T
UTL Sha Tabor Delaware State

SECOND TEAM

P Allison Garcia Bethune-Cookman
P Dale McNeal Howard
C JoJo Shields Delaware State
INF Nicole Demers Delaware State
INF Emily Johnson Howard
INF Alacia Strafford Florida A&M
INF Evelyn Garcia Hampton
OF Brianeisha Eure Norfolk State
OF Dominisha Britton Morgan State
OF Rhianna Green Florida A&M
UTL Kendra Saunders Maryland E. Shore

Lehigh's Lisa Sweeney became the first student-athlete in Patriot League softball history to be named both the Patriot League Player of the Year and Patriot League Pitcher of the Year. Joining Sweeney as major award winners were Bucknell's Lauren Fry, who was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, and Bucknell's Heather Rakosik who was tabbed the Patriot League Coach of the Year. The Patriot League major awards are voted on by the head coaches of the League's six softball teams.

Sweeney emerged as the Patriot League's top offensive threat in 2008, backing up her abilities in the circle. The junior Mountain Hawk leads the Patriot League in eight major offensive categories, including all three of the batting triple crown statistics. Sweeney is tops in the Patriot League in overall batting average (.407), RBI (45) and home runs (13). She is also first in hits (59), walks (35), total bases (107), on-base percentage (.516) and slugging percentage (.738), while ranking second in runs scored (41). Her 35 walks this season are a Patriot League single-season record and she is in the top five on two other offensive single-season lists, including tying for third in home runs and ranking third in RBI. She is one home run away from breaking into the Patriot League's career top 10 list with 16. For the first time in her career, she was named All-Patriot League for a position other than pitcher, earning second-team status in 2008 as an outfielder. Sweeney joins two other Mountain Hawks that have been named Patriot League Player of the Year. Kim Miller won the award outright in 1995 and shared it in 2006 and Kate Marvel was the recipient a year ago.

Sweeney picked up her third Patriot League Pitcher of the Year award in as many years playing in the League. She is only the second pitcher in Patriot League history to win the award three times and the first to do so outright. Holy Cross' Genoa Grosch was named the Patriot League Pitcher of the Year in 1996 and 1999 and shared the honor in 1998. As a mirror to her success at the plate this year, Sweeney also ranks first in the Patriot League in all three pitching triple crown categories with a 1.44 ERA, 22 wins and 260 strikeouts. She also paces the League in shutouts (seven), opponent batting average (.185), innings pitched (170.1) and complete games (21). Her 10.7 strikeouts per seven innings rank fourth in the nation. Earlier this year she set the Patriot League single-season mark for strikeouts, while her 22 wins are second on the single-season chart. She owns the top spot on the single-season victories list with 26 in 2006. The three-time First-Team All-Patriot League pitcher is the League's career leader in wins (67) and strikeouts (643).

Fry was tabbed a First-Team All-Patriot League selection as an outfielder after sporting a .380 batting average in League games with 27 hits and 18 RBI. Overall she owned the fifth-best batting average in the Patriot League at .343 and totaled 32 runs and 30 RBI. Her 30 RBI were first among Patriot League freshmen and fifth in the League overall. She collected 46 hits, including 10 doubles, two triples and two home runs. She ranked in the top 10 in nine different offensive statistical categories, including hits, doubles, triples, runs, RBI, walks (17), total bases (66), on-base percentage (.429) and slugging percentage (.493). The Patriot League began awarding the Rookie of the Year honor in 2002 and Fry is the first Bison to be recognized.

Rakosik led the Bison back to the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2005 and for the second time since she began coaching in Lewisburg, Pa. She guided Bucknell to a 13-7 Patriot League mark to tie for second in the League standings and a 22-27 overall record. The Bison improved by six wins in Patriot League play and seven in overall games from a year ago. The fourth-year head coach placed a League-high six players on the All-Patriot League Team. In Patriot League games, Bucknell was first in both team batting (.344) and team pitching (2.59) and second in fielding percentage (.965). This is the first-ever Patriot League Coach of the Year award for Rakosik and the fifth for Bucknell as Terrie Grieb won the award in 1994, 1996 and 1999 and Janelle Breneman was the honoree in 2004.

The 2008 Patriot League Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, May 8-10 at Lehigh University's Kaufman Field in Bethlehem, Pa. The top-seeded Mountain Hawks will take on No. 4 Army at 2 p.m. on Thursday, while No. 2 Lafayette will play No. 3 Bucknell at 4 p.m. Three games will take place on Friday, while one or two (if necessary) games will be played on Saturday.

Patriot League Player of the Year Lisa Sweeney, Lehigh
Patriot League Pitcher of the Year Lisa Sweeney, Lehigh
Patriot League Rookie of the Year Lauren Fry, Bucknell
Patriot League Coach of the Year Heather Rakosik, Bucknell

* - Due to ties in voting there are 13 members of the First Team and 13 members of the Second Team.
# - Four-time All-Patriot League selection
^ - Three-time All-Patriot League selection

First Team All-SEC
P - Stacey Nelson, Florida
P - Kelsi Dunne, Alabama
IF - Tonya Callahan, Tennessee
IF - Ali Gardiner, Florida
IF - Courtney Bures, Mississippi State
IF - Kelley Montalvo, Alabama
OF - Brittany Rogers, Alabama
OF - Rachel Mitchell, LSU
OF - Kim Waleszonia, Florida
OF - Megan Wiggins, Georgia
C - Chelsea Bramlett, Mississippi State
DP/U - Charlotte Morgan, Alabama

Second Team All-SEC
P - Cody Trahan, LSU
P - Anna Thompson, Auburn
IF - Aja Paculba, Florida
IF - Kenora Posey, Tennessee
IF - Sojourner Moody, Georgia
IF - Molly Johnson, Kentucky
OF - Dani Woods, Alabama
OF - Jordan Praytor, Alabama
OF - Quinlan Duhon, LSU
OF - Hayle Guess, Mississippi State
C - Ashley Holcombe, Alabama
DP/U - Lauren Grill, Ole Miss

Freshman All-SEC
P - Kelsi Dunne, Alabama
P - Stephanie Brombacher, Florida
IF - Aja Paculba, Florida
IF - Jen Lapicki, Tennessee
IF - Megan Bush, Florida
IF - Ali Bainbridge, Mississippi State
OF - Megan Wiggins, Georgia
OF - Meagan Aull, Kentucky
OF - Taylor Schlopy, Georgia
OF - Laura Mendes, South Carolina
C - Megan Yocke, Kentucky
DP/U - Tiffany DeFelice, Florida

SEC All-Defensive
P - Stacey Nelson, UF
C - Ashley Holcombe, UA
1B - Ali Gardiner, UF
2B - Chrissy Schoonmaker, SC;
Aja Paculba, UF
SS, Kenora Posey, UT
3B, Kelley Montalvo, UA
OF, Kim Waleszonia, UF
OF, Myesha Finney, AU
OF, Brittany Rogers, UA

FIRST TEAM
Player, School	Pos.	Cl.	Hometown/Previous School
Catherine Lee, Georgia State	C	Fr.	Covington, Ga./Eastside
Michele DePasquale, Hofstra	1B	So.	Waterford, N.J./Camden Catholic
Casey Fee, Hofstra#	2B	Jr.	Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach
Amber Kirk, James Madison#	3B	Jr.	Hamilton, Va./Loudoun County
Rachel Cunningham, Georgia State	SS	So.	Alpharetta, Ga./South Forsyth
Erika Bernstein, Hofstra*	OF	Jr.	Somerville, N.J./Somerville
Nina Navarro, Towson	OF	Sr.	Diamond Bar, Calif./Diamond Bar
Holly Willis, Georgia State	OF	Jr.	Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge
Sara Michalowski, Hofstra	DP/NP	Fr.	Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan
Courtney Oliver, Hofstra	DP/P	Sr.	Swansea, Mass./Coyle & Cassidy
Kayleigh Lotti, Hofstra*	P	Jr.	S. Attleboro, Mass./St. Raphael's Academy
Meredith Felts, James Madison#	P	Jr.	Greenville, N.C./J.H. Rose

SECOND TEAM
Player, School	Pos.	Cl.	Hometown/Previous School

Carley Hughes, UNC Wilmington*	C	Jr.	Pittsboro, N.C./Apex
Jessica Gowin, Georgia State	1B	Sr.	Cohutta, Ga./Northwest Whitfield
Mindy Bean, Towson	2B	So.	Eugene, Ore./Winston Churchill
Stef Streets, Towson#	3B	So.	Newark, Del./Newark
Pam Dreslinski, Hofstra	SS	Sr.	Kingsville, Ohio/Edgewood
Natasha Berry, Georgia State	OF	Jr.	Victoria, B.C., Canada/North Florida CC
Katie Lee, Delaware	OF	Sr.	Manassas, Va./Osbourn
Christina Rodriguez, Drexel	OF	Jr.	Brick, N.J./Brick Township
Ashli Breau, George Mason	DP/NP	So.	Vienna, Va./James Madison HS
Katrina Gaudier, Drexel	DP/P	So.	Irvine, Calif./Northwood
Madi Gore, Georgia State#	P	Jr.	Acworth, Ga./Virginia
Alicia Mills, Georgia State	P	Fr.	Woodstock, Ga./Sequoyah

2008 CAA ALL-ROOKIE SOFTBALL TEAM
Player, School	Pos.	Cl.	Hometown/High School
Ellen Boundy, Drexel	P	Fr.	Surrey, B.C., Canada/Semiahmoo
Meaghan Clark, Towson	C	Fr.	LaMirada, Cal./LaMirada
Sammi DiPompo, Towson	SS	Fr.	Berlin, N.J./St. Joseph
Melissa Hill, James Madison	SS	Fr.	Santee, Calif./Westhills
Ciera Jones, George Mason	UT	So.	Vienna, Va./James Madison HS
Catherine Lee, Georgia State	C	Fr.	Covington, Ga./Eastside
Sara Michalowski, Hofstra	DP/NP	Fr.	Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan
Alicia Mills, Georgia State	P	Fr.	Woodstock, Ga./Sequoyah
Rachel Sawyer, UNC Wilmington	UT	Fr.	Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill

2008 Missouri Valley Conference Softball All-Conference Team
Pos.	Player, School	Yr.	Hometown (High School)
P	Tara Oltman, Creighton*!	So.	Cortland, Neb. (Beatrice)
P	Ashly Bright, Wichita State	Sr.	Oklahoma City, Okla. (Putnam City/Cowley CC)
C	TJ Eadus, Creighton*	Sr.	Tucson, Ariz. (Sahuaro/Central Arizona)
1b	Lauren Haas, Southern Illinois	Sr.	Bremerton, Wash. (Olympic)
2b	Jaci Faidley, Drake	Sr.	Colfax, Iowa (Colfax-Mingo)
3b	Kara Nelson, Illinois State*#	So.	Moline, Ill. (Moline)
SS	Bailey Dawson, Creighton	Jr.	Lincoln, Neb. (Southeast)
OF	Kristin Birocci, Drake	Sr.	Des Moines, Iowa (Lincoln)
OF	Jessie Buker, Illinois State*	Jr.	Macon, Ill. (Okaw Valley)
OF	Jessica Wakasugi, Creighton	Jr.	Woodbury, Minn. (Woodbury)
DP-Pitcher	Jen Larsen, UNI	So.	Moline, Ill. (Moline)
DP-Utility	Cynthia Verhulst, Wichita State	Sr.	Shawnee, Kan. (Bishop Miege)
At-Large	Melissa Porche, Missouri State	Sr.	Buena Park, Calif. (Oxford Prep Academy)
At-Large	Renae Sinkler, Creighton	So.	Lincoln, Neb. (Northeast)
At-Large	Brittany Herald, Evansville*	Sr.	Old Hickory, Tenn. (Ezell-Harding Christian)
At-Large	Amber Smith, Illinois State*^	Jr.	Fairfield, Calif. (Fairfield)
At-Large	Meredith Simpson, Indiana State	Jr.	Mission Viejo, Calif. (Capo Valley)
At-Large	Tiffany Prager, Illinois State	Sr.	Bloomington, Ill. (Olympia)
* 2007 First-Team; ^2006 First Team; $ 2005 First Team; # 2007 Player of the Year; ! 2007 Pitcher/Newcomer of the Year

MVC Player of the Year: Lauren Haas, SIU		Sr.	Bremerton, Wash. (Olympic)
MVC Pitcher of the Year: Tara Oltman, CU		So.	Cortland, Neb. (Beatrice)
MVC Newcomer of the Year: Brynne Dordel, DU		Fr.	Chanhassen, Minn. (Chaska)
MVC Coaching Staff of the Year: Creighton (Brent Vigness, Abby Johnson)

Name, School	Class	Pos.
Lisa Sweeney, Lehigh ^	Jr.	P
Christie Wiest, Bucknell	Sr.	P
Elyse Colmenero, Bucknell	Fr.	C
Cassie Lloyd, Bucknell	Jr.	1B
Kelly O'Neil, Holy Cross	Sr.	1B
Kristen Ruckno, Lafayette	Sr.	2B
Christina Giambrone, Lafayette	So.	SS
Whitney Scott, Colgate	Sr.	3B
Lauren Fry, Bucknell	Fr.	OF
Kate Marvel, Lehigh #	Sr.	OF
Alisha Gonzales, Lehigh	Jr.	OF
Kasey Karr, Lafayette	So.	DP
Veronica Barth, Army #	Sr.	UT

2008 ALL-CAA SOFTBALL TEAM

FIRST TEAM

SECOND TEAM

2008 CAA Player of the Year: Catherine Lee, Georgia State

2008 CAA ALL-ROOKIE SOFTBALL TEAM