2001 WIAC Women's Softball All-Conference Team Selected

NEWS RELEASE
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Matt Stanek * Sports Information Director * 780 Regent Street * Madison, WI 53715 * Phone: (608) 265-6406 * www.uwsa.edu/wiac/

RELEASED: Wednesday, May 9, 2001

2001 WIAC All-Conference Women's Softball Team Selected

Madison, Wis.--Fourteen players from the East Division and sixteen players from the West Division were named to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) All-Conference Women’s Softball Team, which was recently selected by the conference coaches.

Headlining the East Division selections were Co-Players of the Year, Stevens Point’s Kelly Rutta and Whitewater’s Megan Kerkman. Rutta helped the Pointers to the 2001 WIAC Championship and an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III tournament. The conference title for the Pointers was their first since 1995. Rutta garnered the East Division Player of the Year honor for the second-consecutive season. She is hitting .452 with 21 RBIs, eight triples and three home runs. For her career, Rutta has a school-record 200 hits and 53 extra-base hits.

Kerkman helped the Warhawks to a 25-14-3 record this season. She is a four-time member of the All-WIAC East Division First Team and earned Great Lakes Region First Team honors last season. In 1999, she was named to the Great Lakes Region Second Team. She finished this season with a .407 batting average, 31 runs, 57 hits, 11 doubles and nine stolen bases. Kerkman owns the Warhawk career records for stolen bases, runs scored and at-bats. Her sister, Valerie, a 1999 Whitewater graduate, also earned East Division Player of the Year honors in her senior season.

Among the top vote-getters from the East Division were Stevens Point’s Karen Guckenberger, Whitewater’s Megan Koeller and Platteville’s Michelle Skaden. Guckenberger, a sophomore pitcher, has enjoyed one of the best seasons of any pitcher in school history with a 0.72 ERA, 124 strikeouts and 27 walks in 136 innings. Opponents are hitting just .159 against her. Guckenberger also earned All-WIAC First Team honors last season.

Koeller, a sophomore, leads the WIAC with 17 doubles, ranks second with 59 hits and 28 RBIs and ranks sixth with a .391 batting average. She earned Honorable Mention honors last season.

Skaden, a sophomore, helped the Pioneers to the 2001 WIAC East Division title. She ranks second in the WIAC with a .480 on- base percentage and third with a .412 batting average and .671 slugging percentage.

Leading the West Division selections was Player of the Year Angie Pinnow of Stout. Pinnow is a three-time All-WIAC West Division First Team performer and was named to the All-Great Lakes Region Team in 1998. She currently leads the WIAC with a .427 batting average, .706 slugging percentage, 101 total bases, .478 on-base percentage, 61 hits, six home runs and 17 stolen bases.

Among the top vote-getters from the West Division were Superior’s Amanda Johnston, La Crosse’s Jenny Nelson, River Falls’ Becky Ahlbrecht and Eau Claire’s Kim Czapla. Johnston, a junior pitcher who spent the past two seasons at Minnesota-Moorhead, helped the Yellowjackets to a share of the 2001 West Division title. She leads the WIAC with 181 strikeouts and ranks fifth with a 1.90 ERA. Her 181 strikeouts established a new conference record. The previous mark of 180 was set by La Crosse’s Lori Thompson in 1994.

Nelson, a junior shortstop, hit a team-leading .351 this season for the Eagles. She ranks third in the WIAC with 35 runs, fifth with 47 hits and seventh with a .567 slugging percentage. Her 35 runs established a new school record. Nelson was named All-WIAC First Team last season.

Ahlbrecht, a senior shortstop, helped the Falcons to a share of the 2001 WIAC West Division title. Ahlbrecht, who was named All-WIAC First Team in 1998 and 2000 while playing at Platteville, led the Falcons in hitting with a .352 average. She had seven doubles with 12 runs and .448 slugging percentage.

Czapla, a sophomore pitcher, leads the WIAC with 18 wins and ranks second with a 1.49 ERA.

La Crosse’s Vicki Schull was selected the 2001 WIAC Coach of the Year by her peers after leading the Eagles to a school record 27 wins. Schull is 76-54 (.585) overall in her three-year career at the helm of the Eagles. She becomes the second women’s softball coach in La Crosse history to win the conference’s top coaching honor. Susan Barnd also won the award in 1993.

Following is a complete listing of the 2001 WIAC All-Conference Women’s Softball Team.

East Division--First Team

Name, School, Position, Year, Hometown (High School)

Sarah Berg, Stevens Point, Centerfield, Senior, Stillwater, Minn.

Nikki Best, Stevens Point, Firstbase, Junior, Portage

Cari Briley, Stevens Point, Rightfield, Senior, Creston, Iowa

Brenda Brooks, Whitewater, Shortstop/Secondbase, Senior, Manitowoc (Lincoln)

Erin Esser, Platteville, Outfield, Senior, Cobb (Iowa-Grant)

Brenda Feucht, Oshkosh, Firstbase, Sophomore, Mayville (Hartford)

Karen Guckenberger, Stevens Point, Pitcher, Sophomore, South Milwaukee

Megan Kerkman, Whitewater, Outfield/Secondbase, Senior, Burlington (Westosha Central)

Megan Koeller, Whitewater, Catcher/Outfield, Sophomore, Potosi

Jessie Laha, Oshkosh, Centerfield, Freshman, Appleton (Kimberly)

Angie Long, Oshkosh, Outfield, Freshman, Green Bay (Southwest)

Michelle Markham, Whitewater, Firstbase, Senior, Juda (Monroe)

Kelly Rutta, Stevens Point, Secondbase, Senior, Stevens Point (Pacelli)

Michelle Skaden, Platteville, Sophomore, Catcher, Lewiston, Minn. (Lewiston-Altura)

East Division--Honorable Mention

Nicole Alexander, Stevens Point, Shortstop, Freshman, Dodgeville

Katie Dams, Oshkosh, Secondbase, Sophomore, Greenfield

Mary Easton, Oshkosh, Catcher, Sophomore, Kenosha (Tremper)

Jess Van Lannen, Platteville, Pitcher, Junior, Green Bay (East)

Debbie Meltz, Whitewater, Catcher/Thirdbase, Freshman, Hortonville

Amy Pennekamp, Platteville, Catcher, Senior, Lancaster

Carrie Thorson, Oshkosh, Shortstop, Senior, Hortonville

Heather Wendt, Whitewater, Pitcher, Junior, Hampshire, Ill. (Burlington Central)

West Division--First Team

Becky Ahlbrecht, River Falls, Shortstop, Senior, New Richmond (Hillcrest Luth. Acad.)

Devanie Bigalk, River Falls, Pitcher, Freshman, White Bear Lake, Minn.

Becky Bourne, Eau Claire, Shortstop, Senior, Golden Valley, Minn. (Hopkins)

Amy Brooke, River Falls, Pitcher, Sophomore, Spring Valley

Kedra Clough, La Crosse, Pitcher, Junior, Dodgeville

Kim Czapla, Eau Claire, Pitcher, Sophomore, Arlington Heights, Ill. (Buffalo Grove)

Amanda Johnston, Superior, Pitcher, Junior, Aurora, Minn.

Dinah Martin,Eau Claire, Shortstop, Sophomore, De Pere

Jenny Nelson, La Crosse, Shortstop, Junior, Watertown

Angie Pinnow, Stout, Shortstop, Senior, Bruce
Anna Poulter, River Falls, Catcher/Outfield, Freshman, Colfax, Iowa (Colfax-Mingo)

Anna Quilty, Superior, Secondbase, Sophomore, Schofield

Danyell Smith, Eau Claire, Catcher, Junior, Inver Grove Heights, Minn. (Simley)

Andrea Tsilis, La Crosse, Catcher, Sophomore, Sparta

Jessie Ustby, Stout, Outfield, Junior, Onalaska

Sally Wenzel, La Crosse, Pitcher, Sophomore, Mequon

West Division--Honorable Mention

Jenni Bostrom, Stout, Pitcher/Des. Player, Freshman, Circle Pines, Minn. (Centennial)

Kelly Fischer, La Crosse, Outfield, Junior, Appleton (Hortonville)

Angie Garin, River Falls, Outfield, Sophomore, Inver Grove Heights, Minn. (Simley)

Beth Gordon, La Crosse, Firstbase, Junior, Madison (Middleton)

Lindsay Mechelke, Stout, Catcher/Firstbase, Freshman, Lake Elmo, Minn. (Stillwater)

Casey Morris, Superior, Catcher, Senior, Ely, Minn.

Meghann Mulligan, River Falls, Firstbase, Sophomore, Coon Rapids, Minn.

Tracy Steffens, Eau Claire, Firstbase, Junior, Seymour

East Division Co-Players of the Year: Megan Kerkman of UW-Whitewater, Kelly Rutta of UW-Stevens Point

West Division Player of the Year: Angie Pinnow of UW-Stout

Judy Kruckman Co-Scholar-Athletes: Angie Pinnow of UW-Stout, Kelly Rutta of UW-Stevens Point

Coach of the Year: Vicki Schull of UW-La Crosse

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