May 5, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. - Lehigh, which claimed the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament for the eighth straight season, placed a League-high eight student-athletes on the 2009 All-Patriot League Softball Team, which was announced Tuesday. Of the Mountain Hawks' eight selections, seven were placed on the First Team. Second-seeded Colgate had six selections, followed by Bucknell with four and Army with three. Holy Cross and Lafayette round out the All-Patriot League teams with two selections apiece. Of the 25 players on the All-Patriot League Teams, 14 are first-time selections.

Leading the way for Lehigh is pitcher Lisa Sweeney. The senior has been recognized as a First-Team All-Patriot League selection in all four of her seasons with the Mountain Hawks. She is the 25th player to be selected to the All-Patriot League Team in four consecutive season and the first since 2006. She is the seventh player in Patriot League history to receive First-Team All-Patriot League honors in four straight years. She is also the second player in the history of the League to be named to the All-Patriot League Team five times, joining Colgate's Tara McGroff. Last season, Sweeney was named to the First Team as a pitcher and to the Second Team as an outfielder. In Patriot League play this season, Sweeney was 11-1 with a 1.18 ERA. She struck out 88 batters while limiting foes to a .182 batting average. She led the Patriot League in wins, ERA, opposing batting average and strikeouts. For the year, she is 19-8 with a 2.22 ERA and 209 strikeouts.

Sweeney is joined on the First Team by fellow Lehigh pitcher Tiffany Curtis. The junior pitched just the third perfect game in Patriot League history on March 3 in the Mountain Hawks' 1-0 win over St. Bonaventure. In Patriot League play, she was 6-2 with a 2.57 ERA while limiting foes to a .218 batting average. In League action, she ranked second to Sweeney in wins, ERA and opposing batting average. Curtis was previously named an All-Patriot League Second-Team selection as a freshman in 2007.

Lehigh senior Alisha Gonzales is on the All-Patriot League Team for the second time in her career. She was named to the First Team as a designated player after batting .432 with three home runs and 16 RBI in Patriot League action. For the season, she is batting .358 with four home runs and 25 RBI. Fellow senior Whitney Lowe is on the All-Patriot League Team for the first time in her career. The First-Team selection batted .328 with six RBI in 18 Patriot League games at second base. Sophomore third baseman Alex Cueva also makes her first appearance on the All-Patriot League Team. Cueva batted .379 with 14 RBI in Patriot League play. She also committed just one error during 20 League games.

A trio of freshmen round out Lehigh's All-Patriot League selections. First baseman Julie Fernandez and outfielder Audra Wood were placed on the First Team while shortstop Jennifer Colquhoun earned Second-Team honors. Fernandez leads all Patriot League players with a .407 batting average in all games. Eighteen of her 61 hits have been for extra bases. During League play, she batted .400 with 10 RBI. Wood has a League-best 25 stolen bases in all games, including seven in Patriot League action. She batted .261 with seven RBI in 20 Patriot League games. Colquhoun batted .389 with 12 RBI in Patriot League play.

Colgate, which will be the No. 2 team in the Patriot League Tournament, placed six players on the All-Patriot League Team, including two First-Team selections. Senior outfielder Calla Yee received First-Team All-Patriot League honors for the second time in her career. She was previously named to the First Team as a sophomore in 2007. As a senior, Yee has batted .326 with 11 RBI and 18 stolen bases. In League play, she batted .353 and swiped 13 bases. Senior utility Erin Gomez was named to the All-Patriot League Team for the first time in her career. She was named a First-Team selection after batting .350 with seven home runs and 24 RBI. In Patriot League play alone, she batted .395 with six home runs and 19 RBI.

Colgate also had four Second-Team selections, led by three-time honoree Tiana Tyeskey. The second baseman was named to the Second Team for the third straight season after batting .323 with four home runs and 32 RBI. She belted three home runs and drove in 18 runs in League play. She is joined on the Second Team by first-time selections Jess McCarrick, Stephanie Hartquist and Amanda Eccleston. McCarrick, a junior pitcher, is 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA. Hartquist, a freshman outfielder, batted .269 with one home run and 19 RBI. Eccleston, a junior designated player, leads the team with a .333 batting average. In Patriot League play, she batted .385 with one home run and 19 RBI.

Bucknell placed four players, including three First-Team selections, on the All-Patriot League Team. First-Team selections Elyse Colmenero and Ashley Beans received All-League recognition for the second time in their careers. Colmenero, a sophomore catcher, is batting .323 with two home runs and 14 RBI. Both of her home runs came in Patriot League play. Beans, a senior outfielder, received an All-Patriot League nod for the first time since her freshman season. Beans has batted .318 with 27 RBI. Of her 41 hits this season, 21 have been for extra bases. Joining Colmenero and Beans on the First-Team is first-time selection Alison Ford. The sophomore utility has batted .267 with 29 RBI and 20 runs scored this season. Bucknell senior first baseman Erin Cassie Lloyd, who led the Patriot League with a .480 batting average during League games, was placed on the Second Team. It is the second time in Lloyd's career that she has received All-Patriot League recognition.

Army had three Second-Team All-Patriot League selections. Junior catcher Erin McClain batted .364 with nine extra-base hits and nine RBI in 20 Patriot League games. It is the second time in her career that she has been recognized with All-League status. Outfielders Reanna Johnson and Sarah Yates join McClain on the Second Team. Both are first-time members on the All-League Team. Johnson, a freshman, batted .324 in Patriot League action. Yates, a senior, batted .333 with a home run and nine RBI in Patriot League play.

Lafayette placed two players on the All-Patriot League Team, including First-Team selection Christina Giambrone. The junior shortstop has been named to the All-Patriot League Team three times in her career. She has batted .398 in all games and leads the Patriot League with 14 home runs and a .832 slugging percentage. She leads the League with seven home runs in Patriot League play. Her teammate, junior pitcher Kasey Karr, was also named to the All-Patriot League Team for the third straight season. Karr was named to the Second Team after recording five wins and a 2.61 ERA in Patriot League action.

Two Holy Cross student-athletes round out the All-Patriot League selections. Junior third baseman Mandy Correale and sophomore outfielder Keeley Seniuk were named to the All-Patriot League Team for the first time in their careers. Seniuk batted .319 with three home runs and 25 RBI this season, while Correale batted .265 with five RBI. Seniuk and Correale combined to steal 21 bases, helping the Crusaders establish a new school record for stolen bases in a season with 101.

The 2009 Patriot League major awards (Player, Pitcher, Rookie and Coach of the Year) will be announced on Wednesday, May 6. This year's Patriot League Tournament will be contested Thursday through Saturday at Lehigh University. The top-seeded Mountain Hawks are hosting No. 2 Colgate, No. 3 Bucknell and No. 4 Lafayette.

All-Patriot League First Team

Tiffany Curtis, Jr., P, Lehigh

Lisa Sweeney, Sr., P, Lehigh

Elyse Colmenero, So., C, Bucknell

Julie Fernandez, Fr., 1B, Lehigh

Whitney Lowe, Sr., 2B, Lehigh

Christina Giambrone, Jr., SS, Lafayette

Alex Cueva, So., 3B, Lehigh

Ashley Beans, Sr., OF, Bucknell

Calla Yee, Sr., OF, Colgate

Audra Wood, Fr., OF, Lehigh

Alisha Gonzales, Sr., DP, Lehigh

Alison Ford, So., U, Bucknell *

Erin Gomez, Sr., U, Colgate *

All-Patriot League Second Team

Jess McCarrick, Jr., P, Colgate

Kasey Karr, Jr., P, Lafayette

Erin McClain, Jr., C, Army

Cassie Lloyd, Sr., 1B, Bucknell

Tiana Tyesky, Sr., 2B, Colgate

Jennifer Colquhoun, Fr., SS, Lehigh

Mandy Correale, Jr., 3B, Holy Cross

Reanna Johnson, Fr., OF, Army ^

Sarah Yates, Sr., OF, Army ^

Stephanie Hartquist, Fr., OF, Colgate ^

Keeley Seniuk, So., OF, Holy Crossb ^

Amanda Eccleston, Jr., DP, Colgate

* Due to a tie in voting there are two utility players on the First Team and none on the Second Team

^ Due to a tie in voting there are four outfielders on the Second Team