For Immediate Release
April 29, 2008
Wellesley Sports Information
Wellesley Softball Players Earn NEWMAC All-Conference Awards
Jenna Harvey Repeats as Player and Pitcher of the Year
WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Wellesley College senior Jenna Harvey (London, Ontario) highlighted the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) softball post-season awards announced on Tuesday. Harvey, a senior, earned her second straight NEWMAC Pitcher and Player of the Year awards.
Wellesley also placed four on the All-Conference team. Harvey's Player of the Year status gave her first team honors while senior Kara Wong (Milford, Mass.) repeated as a first team selection.
Joining Harvey and Wong is junior Amanda Tai (Melrose, Mass.), who earned her first All-Conference bid with a second team nod, and sophomore Megan Wood (Jacksonville, Fla.) who also earned second team honors a year ago.
Harvey was the conference’s most dominant pitcher, racking up 225 strikeouts this season and throwing four no-hitters. On the year, she has an ERA of 0.58 and a 15-3 record. During conference play, she held NEWMAC opponents to a .104 batting average and recorded a 0.26 ERA with 107 strikeouts. Harvey leads Division III in fewest hits allowed per game is second in the nation in strikeouts per game.
Wong, a catcher, is Wellesley leading run producer. Her 24 RBI are first on the Blue this season and her 32 hits this season rank her second on the team. This season, she’s hitting .308 including batting .346 with two homerun and 16 RBI during conference play. A mainstay for Wellesley behind the plate, Wong has thrown out 10 base runners this season and has allowed only four passed balls all year.
Tai has stepped up this season as a utility player for Wellesley. A solid player at both second base and third base, she currently leads Wellesley with a .365 batting average and 35 hits. This season, she’s racked up six doubles, one triple and has stolen six bases, tops on the team. During conference play, she hit .302 with two doubles and five runs batted in.
Wood, the Blue’s starting left fielder, is one of Wellesley’s most consistent hitters and has played error-less in the outfield all season. Currently batting .351, she’s tied for the Wellesley lead with four homeruns and has knocked in 17 runs. Wood’s .571 slugging percentage leads the team, as does her .451 on-base percentage. Against NEWMAC opponents, she hit a massive .380 and also had an eight-game hitting streak.
Up next for Wellesley, the Blue will play at Brandeis University tomorrow at 3:30pm. After finishing as the runner-up in the conference tournament, Wellesley (26-8-1) will await an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. The tournament seeds will be announced Sunday, May 4th.
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Jenna Harvey |
Amanda Tai |
Kara Wong |
Megan Wood |
2008 NEWMAC Softball All-Conference Team and Award Winners
Player of the Year
Jenna Harvey, SR, Wellesley College, P
Pitcher of the Year
Jenna Harvey, SR, Wellesley College
Rookie of the Year
Amanda Frederick, Coast Guard Academy, C
Coach of the Year
Kathy Mangano, Springfield College
Sportsmanship Award
Smith College
First Team All-Conference
Heather Warren, SR, Clark, P/IF
Lauren Blake, SO, Clark, IF
Amanda Frederick, FY, Coast Guard, C
Samantha Rhodes, JR, Springfield, P
Michelle Wlosek, SO, Springfield, C
Kara Wong, SR, Wellesley, C
Jenna Harvey, SR, Wellesley, P
Stacey Kelleher, JR, Wheaton, IF
Jodi Moynagh, SR, Wheaton, P
Second Team All-Conference
Jess Byrn, SR, Babson, P/OF
Melissa Traft, SO, Clark, P/IF
Leanna Minton, SO, Coast Guard, 2B
Megan Kiefer, SO, Smith, IF/C
Denise Fumicello, SR, Springfield, IF
Danielle Spiro, JR, Springfield, IF
Amanda Tai, JR, Wellesley, OF
Megan Wood, SO, Wellesley, OF
Audrey Poulton, SR, Wheaton, UTL