May 9, 2006

The 2006 All-Patriot League softball teams consisted of 26 players from all six schools, including a League-high seven from regular-season champion Lehigh. Army placed six student-athletes on the All-League teams, while Colgate had five. Both Holy Cross and Lafayette had two players named to the All-League squads. The League also announced its major award winners with Colgate's LaPorscha Albert (Lewisville, Texas/Lewisville) earning Patriot League Player of the Year honors. Lehigh's Lisa Sweeney (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) was named Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, while Colgate's Ashley Rowe (Tampa, Fla./Gaither) garnered Patriot League Rookie of the Year accolades. Patriot League Coach of the Year honors went to Lafayette's Jeanine Gunther.

Albert became the fourth Raider in Patriot League history to be named Player of the Year after hitting for a League-leading .378 average. The sophomore short stop scored 27 runs this year and collected a League-high 15 doubles, with the former tying her for fifth on the League's single-season chart. She was twice named Patriot League Player of the Week this season.

Sweeney quickly made her way to the top of two of the Patriot League single-season charts with 24 victories and 195 strikeouts in her rookie campaign. Sweeney ranks first in the League with a 0.93 ERA, which would put her at third on the Patriot League season-single list. She has had seven double-digit strikeout games, reaching her career-high of 12 three different times this season. Sweeney is the fifth Lehigh player to be named Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, with former Mountain Hawk Emily Ling winning the award twice.

Rowe owned the top batting average among freshman in the Patriot League this season at .314. Rowe batted in 31 runs this year, collecting 12 doubles and a team-high four home runs. With three more RBI she will tie Colgate's freshman record.

In her first season in College Hill, Pa., Gunther led the Leopards to their first Patriot League Tournament appearance in six years and their first ever No. 2 seeding. Gunther's squad went 19-26 overall this year and 10-10 in the Patriot League, racking up the most victories since 1985. The Leopards' 10 League wins this year is the most since the inception of the Patriot League.

Army placed three student-athletes on the All-Patriot League First-Team, including Darcy Wilson (Tucson, Ariz./Canyon Del Oro), Nikki Posey (Midlothian, Texas/Midlothian) and Veronica Lauzon (Capistrano Beach, Calif./San Clemente). Wilson batted .326 this season, playing third base for the Black Knights. Wilson scored 23 runs and batted in the same amount. Posey was an all-star selection in the outfield and Army's top hitter on the year, ranking second in the Patriot League in batting average (.368). Lauzon was a .322 hitter, serving as a utility player at West Point. Lauzon tied Wilson for the team lead in doubles with 13.

Bucknell senior first baseman Lauren Wible (Dover, Pa./Dover) and junior designated player Lauren Litts (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg) represented the Bison on the First-Team. In Patriot League games, Wible hit .311with seven runs scored and 10 RBI. Overall, Wible collected nine doubles and three home runs. Litts moved to second on Bucknell's career home run list with eight this season, bringing her career total to 16, trailing Wible by only one. In League games, Litts owned the second-best batting average at .394 with 10 runs and 18 RBI.

Colgate's Kate Howard (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton-Warrenville South) joined Albert on the First-Team after collecting the second-most victories in the League (14-11) and ranking third in ERA (2.33). The senior pitcher struck out 102 batters this year, as one of only two Patriot League pitchers to fan more than 100 batters in 2006.

Lafayette claimed its first All-Patriot League First-Team selection since 1998 in junior second baseman Jill Masterton (East Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick). Masterton batted .345 with 30 runs scored, 18 RBI, 12 doubles and six home runs.

Lehigh freshman Lisa Sweeney was tabbed the Patriot League Pitcher of the Year

Four other Mountain Hawks joined Sweeney on the All-Patriot League First-Team, including Kate Arico (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central), Mary Wieder (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus), Kate Marvel (Manasquan, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) and Julie Sterrett (Coopersburg, Pa./Southern Lehigh). Arico was second only to Sweeney in the ERA category (1.62) and went 12-6 with 13 complete games and 92 strikeouts. Wieder completed Lehigh's all-star battery, hitting .390 in Patriot League games. Wieder led the Mountain Hawks with seven home runs this year, tying the Lehigh single-season mark, and ranks first in the League with 37 RBI. Sterrett (.367) and Marvel (.361) are tied for third and fifth in the Patriot League in batting average, respectively. Sterrett is tied for second in the League with 35 RBI, while collecting seven doubles, four triples and six home runs. Marvel stole a League-high 11 bases, while tying for second on the Patriot League single-season list with eight triples.

Sophomore pitcher Veronica Barth (Granada Hills, Calif./Chaminade), senior catcher Jamie Gjurgevich (Tucson, Ariz./Salpointe Catholic) and junior short stop Lindsey Gerheim (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton) were Army's three representatives on the All-Patriot League Second-Team. Barth won seven games for the Black Knights and owned a 3.23 ERA. In Patriot League games, Gjurgevich batted .352, scoring nine runs and batting in 12. Overall, Gerheim hit .313 with 28 runs and 24 RBI.

Bucknell freshman outfielder Ashley Beans (Hanover, Pa./Hanover) was named to the All-Patriot League Second-Team after starting 46 games for the Bison. Beans hit .243 during her rookie campaign with 10 runs and five RBI. Junior second baseman Jen James (Ambler, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) also received all-star accolades. James tied for the fourth-highest doubles total in the Patriot League this year at 12.

The Colgate trio of sophomore first baseman Whitney Scott (Beaverton, Ore./Beaverton), freshman outfielder Tiana Tyeskey (Granite Bay, Calif./Granite Bay) and freshman utility player Kortney Hannah (Vacaville, Calif./Vacaville) were honored on the All-Patriot League Second-Team for the first time in their careers. Scott owned a .331 batting average this season and hit safely in 13-straight games early in the year. Tyeskey was the most recent Raider to be named Patriot League Rookie of the Week, with Colgate winning the award seven out of nine times this season. Hannah was one of three different Raiders to take home the Patriot League Rookie of the Week award, while Rowe was a four-time winner.

Colgate freshman utility player Ashley Rowe earned Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors

Holy Cross had two representatives on the All-Patriot League Second-Team, with outfielders senior Megan Lally (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro) and sophomore Jayme Elliott (Gardena, Calif./Mira Costa) both making an appearance. Lally hit .361 on the season, spreading the hits out with 14 doubles, three triples and four home runs. In League games Elliott hit .315 with 12 runs and five RBI, while sporting a .968 fielding percentage overall.

Lafayette ace, senior Lauren Belowich (Edison, N.J./J.P. Stevens), made her way onto the Second-Team after winning 10 games this year with a 3.05 ERA. Belowich was also strong at the plate, hitting .368 in Patriot League games and blasting five home runs over the course of the season.

Junior third baseman Heather Hamasaki (Glendale, Calif./Glendale) and junior designated player Lauren Haney (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa) rounded out the All-Patriot League Second-Team as Lehigh's representatives. Hamasaki moved from her starting pitcher role to third base this season, batting .269 for the Mountain Hawks. Haney scored 11 runs and batted in 17 with a .267 average.

2006 All-Patriot League Teams

First-Team

Player of the Year: LaPorscha Albert, Colgate, So., SS
Pitcher of the Year: Lisa Sweeney, Lehigh, Fr.
Rookie of the Year: Ashley Rowe, Colgate, Fr., 1B/OF/P
Coach of the Year: Jeanine Gunther, Lafayette

NOTE: Due to ties there are three pitchers on the First-Team and four outfielders on the Second-Team.