May 7, 2003
2003 Patriot League All-League Release
Download Free Acrobat Reader
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Colgate University claimed three of the major Patriot League softball awards after finishing the regular-season in second-place with a 15-5 record, which was the best League mark in school history. Senior shortstop Melissa Rawson (Palmdale, Calif.) earned Player of the Year honors, while freshman pitcher Kate Howard (Wheaton, Ill.) was named Rookie of the Year. Colgate mentor Vickie Sax was selected by her peers as the Coach of the Year. The final major award went to Lehigh hurler Emily Ling (Binghamton, N.Y.), who was the Pitcher of the Year.
The regular-season champion Lehigh Mountain Hawks placed a League-best eight student-athletes on the All-League teams, including five on the first-team, while regular-season runner-up Colgate nabbed five spots on the first-team.
Rawson wins Player of the Year accolades after a record-breaking season. The senior is the first Raider to win the Player of the Year award since Melissa Mack took home top honors in 1998. Rawson wielded a hot bat for Colgate during the regular-season. The senior shortstop leads the League and is second in the NCAA statistics with a .492 batting average. She is also atop the League charts in hits (62), runs scored (47), home runs (16), runs batted in (42), total bases (127), on-base percentage (.540) and slugging percentage (1.008). Rawson's home run and RBI totals are also in the Top 10 in the NCAA.
During the regular-season, Rawson broke the Patriot League single-season record for home runs and total bases and is on pace to eclipse the slugging percentage mark. The senior was a three-time Player of the Week selection in 2003. Against League opponents, Rawson was even tougher to get out, hitting at a .548 clip with five doubles and nine homers. She recently broke the PL career home run record and enters the tourney with 30 bombs in four seasons.
In just her second year in the League, Ling become the fourth Mountain Hawk to win Pitcher of the Year honors. The sophomore righty was second in the PL with a 1.62 earned run average en route to a 17-3 overall record. The four-time Pitcher of the Week fanned a League-best 155 batters. Her 8.17 strikeout per seven innings mark is 26th in the country.
Ling yielded just 10 earned runs in 11 appearances against League foes for a 1.10 ERA, which was second in the Patriot League. She was 9-1, including four shutouts, in PL action. The sophomore registered a .139 opponent's batting average. Ling struck out 8.47 batters per seven innings, while walking just 1.98 per seven.
Howard is the second-straight Raider to win Rookie of the Year honors (Dorothy Donaldson) after going 7-2 with a 1.35 earned run average in League play. The freshman combined with fellow rookie Erica Nesselroad (Morgantown, W.Va.) to no-hit Lafayette April 28. Overall, Howard owns the third-best earned run average in the League with a 1.90 mark. She is also third in the PL with a 13-7 record.
For the first time in her career, Sax is tabbed Coach of the Year after leading Colgate to a 28-13 overall record and a 15-5 mark in League play. The 15-5 PL effort is the best Patriot League record in school history. Sax, who is the only CU coach to win top honors, guided the Raiders to the 20-win mark each of her six seasons at the helm. This season, Colgate leads the League with a 1.56 team earned run average and is second in the PL with a .277 batting average.
In addition to Melissa Rawson, who is making her fourth-straight first-team appearance, Colgate also placed juniors Elena Isaac (Chandler, Ariz.) and Rachel Smith (Annandale, Va.) and sophomores Natalie Rawson (Palmdale, Calif.) and Dorothy Donaldson (Lakeland, Fla.) on the first-team squad.
Isaac earns her second-straight first-team berth after leading the League with a 1.21 earned run average, which is also among the NCAA leaders. The junior is 15-6 on the season with 20 complete games under her belt, including six shutouts. In League play, Isaac was 8-3 with a 1.38 ERA and four shutouts. Natalie Rawson makes the move to first-team after claiming a second-team spot as a rookie. The first baseman tallied a .339 batting average during the regular-season with nine doubles and eight home runs.
Donaldson is making her second-straight first-team appearance after finishing in the top five in the League in hitting (.383), runs scored (27), home runs (8), doubles (13), RBI (31), on-base percentage (.478) and slugging percentage (.704). Smith notched 15 hits to go along with nine runs scored and four RBI. The utility player leads the League with 16 sacrifice hits.
Ling is joined fellow Mountain Hawks Jenny Bender (Flemington, N.J.), junior Shana Treon (Allentown, Pa.), sophomore Jessica Young (Center Valley, Pa.) and freshman Mary Wieder (Emmaus, Pa.) on the first-team.
Bender, who is a four-time all-star, earned a first-team slot as a pitcher and also claimed second-team accolades as a designated player. The senior dominated on the mound in League play, giving up four runs en route to a 0.73 ERA. Bender tossed three shutouts in seven PL appearances. At the plate, Bender is in the Top 10 in the League in hitting (.343), hits (48), doubles (10), triples (4), runs scored (23), RBI (40), on-base percentage (.422) and slugging percentage (.514).
Treon makes the move to the first-team after a second-team berth a year ago. The junior outfielder belted out 54 hits during the regular-season to go along with 34 runs scored and 17 RBI. Young is second on the team and third in the PL with a .385 average. The second baseman, who was a two-time Player of the Week, crossed the plate a team-best 39 times and drove in 33 scores. Wieder was the March 24 Rookie of the Week. On the season, the catcher owns a .291 batting average with 20 runs scored and 23 RBI.
The final two first-team selections are Holy Cross sophomore outfielder Mary Beth Ryan (Holden, Mass.) and freshman third baseman Nicole Dissingue (Schaghticoke, N.Y.). Ryan is sixth in the League with a .359 average, while Dissingue is third on the team with a .257 mark at the plate.
All six of Army's post-season selections were members of the second-team, including junior pitcher Ashlie Christian (Payette, Idaho), sophomore first baseman Lisa Huntington (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and sophomore second baseman Lindsay March (Tucson, Ariz.).
In 30 appearances this season, Christian notched a 2.01 earned run average en route to a 12-9 record. The junior leads the PL and is among the national leaders with four saves. Against League foes, Christian is sixth in the League with a 1.87 ERA. Huntington ripped 32 hits, including 10 doubles, during the regular-season, while March has a .280 average with 21 runs scored and seven RBI.
Joining Christian, Huntington and March on the All-League second-team are sophomore Lindsey Romack (Warren, Ohio) and freshmen Abbie Gottschall (Mohnton, Pa.) and Nikki Posey (Midlothian, Texas). Romack registered 31 hits on the season to go with 14 runs scored, while five of Gottschall's 18 hits this season were doubles. Posey is fourth on the squad with a .287 batting average. Eight of the rookie's hits went for extra bases, including four doubles.
Lehigh landed two players on the second-team, including senior Stephanie Digneo (Philadelphia, Pa.) and sophomore Kelly Kliewer (Whittier, Calif.). Digneo earns a post-season slot for the fourth time in her career after posting a .392 batting average during the regular-season. The senior shortstop, who is the Patriot League career hit leader, crossed the plate 36 times and drove in 30 runs. Kliewer is in the Top 10 in the PL with a .363 mark at the plate. She is also among the League leaders with 11 doubles.
Bucknell placed a pair of rookies on the second-team in first baseman Lauren Wible (Dover, Pa.) and outfielder Kris Devore (Washington, Pa.). Wible was the top Bison hitter at a .255 clip. She also led the squad with 17 runs batted in and three home runs. Devore was second on the team with a .250 average. She also drove in 16 runs.
Holy Cross sophomore catcher Alycia FitzPatrick (Lake Forest, Calif.) garnered second-team honors for the first time in her career after hitting .296 during the regular-season, which was among the PL leaders.
Megan Davis (Horsham, Pa.) was the lone Lafayette All-League selection. The freshman utility player started 35 games and is second on the team with 22 hits.
2003 Softball All-Patriot League Teams
ALL-LEAGUE FIRST TEAM
Player, School, Cl., Pos. - Previous Honors
Elena Isaac, Colgate, Jr., P - '02 1st
Emily Ling, Lehigh, So., P - '02 2nd
Mary Wieder, Lehigh, Fr., C
Natalie Rawson, Colgate, So., 1B - '02 2nd
Jessica Young, Lehigh, So., 2B
Melissa Rawson, Colgate, Sr., SS - '02 1st; '01 1st; '00 1st
Nicole Dissingue, Holy Cross, Fr., 3B
Dorothy Donaldson, Colgate, So., OF - '02 1st; '02 ROY
Mary Beth Ryan, Holy Cross, So., OF
Shana Treon, Lehigh, Jr., OF - '02 2nd
Jenny Bender, Lehigh, Sr., DP - '02 2nd; '01 1st; '00 1st
Rachel Smith, Colgate, Jr., UT
ALL-LEAGUE SECOND TEAM
Ashlie Christian, Army, Jr., P
Jenny Bender, Lehigh, Sr., P - '02 2nd; '01 1st; '00 1st
Alycia FitzPatrick, Holy Cross, So., C
Lisa Huntington, Army, So., 1B - '02 2nd
Lauren Wible, Bucknell, Fr., 1B
Lindsay March, Army, So., 2B - '02 1st
Stephanie Digneo, Lehigh, Sr., SS - '02 1st; '01 1st; '00 2nd
Kelly Kliewer, Lehigh, So., 3B
Nikki Posey, Army, Fr., OF
Lindsey Romack, Army, So., OF
Kris Devore, Bucknell, Fr., OF
Abbie Gottschall, Army, Fr., DP
Meghan Davis, Lafayette, Fr., UT
Player of the Year: Melissa Rawson, Colgate, Sr., SS
Pitcher of the Year: Emily Ling, Lehigh, So., P
Rookie of the Year: Kate Howard, Colgate, Fr., P
Coach of the Year: Vickie Sax, Colgate (sixth season)