May 12, 2010
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Fordham's sophomore pitcher, Jen Mineau (Schaghticoke, N.Y./Hoosic Valley Central) was selected as a Top 10 Finalist for the 2010 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year as announced by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America announced today. The Player of the Year will be announced on June 1 at the opening of the NCAA 2010 Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla. The award, which is considered the most prestigious honor in Division I women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.
The accolade comes a day after Mineau was named Atlantic 10 Student-Athlete of the Year, as well as First Team All-Conference. Mineau (30-5) leads the country in strikeouts per seven innings (13.1), ERA (0.69) and is second in overall strikeouts (436). Mineau has also been an integral part of helping Fordham earn a 1.15 team ERA which also ranks first in Division I.
Mineau has established Fordham single-season marks for strikeouts (436), wins (30) and shutouts (14), along with a single-game record for strikeouts (22). Mineau was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week on five occasions and was selected as the Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Division I Player of the Week on May 4.
On May 6, Mineau was awarded the team MVP and Fordham's Co-Female Athlete of the Year Award at Fordham's annual awards banquet. The same day, the sophomore and two of her teammates were selected to the COSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team for Division I.
Mineau and the Rams will face the toughest teams from the Atlantic 10 on Thursday as they play their first game in the 2010 Atlantic 10 Tournament. With a 16-2 Atlantic 10 record and a 45-8 overall record, Fordham received a No. 2 seed and a first round bye.
Past winners of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year honor include UCLA's Stacey Nuveman, Florida State's Jessica Van der Linden, Texas' Cat Osterman, who is a three time winner, Tennessee's Monica Abbott, Virginia Tech's Angela Tincher and Washington's Danielle Lawrie.
The Top 10 Finalists represent 10 schools and five different NCAA Division I Conferences. The list is comprised of five seniors, one junior, one sophomore and three freshman. The final three finalists will be announced May 26 while the winner of the 2010 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced prior to the start of the World Series action at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.
2010 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 10 Finalists Name (School) - Year - Position - Hometown Valerie Arioto (California) - Junior - Utility - Pleasanton, Calif.
Chelsea Bramlett (Mississippi State) - Senior - Catcher/Infield - Cordova,> Tenn.
Kayla Braud (Alabama) -Freshman - Infielder - Eugene, Ore.
Francesca Enea (Florida) - Senior - Outfield - Woodland Hills, Calif.
Kenzie Fowler (Arizona) - Freshman - Pitcher - Tucson, Ariz.
Megan Langenfeld (UCLA) - Senior - Pitcher/First Base - Bakersfield, Calif.
Danielle Lawrie (Washington) - Senior - Pitcher - Langley, B.C.
Blaire Luna (Texas) - Freshman - Pitcher - Austin, Texas
Jen Mineau (Fordham) - Sophomore - Pitcher - Schaghticoke, N.Y.
Jen Yee (Georgia Tech) - Senior - Second Base - North Delta, B.C.
The Top 10 finalists were selected by a panel, which includes Division I coaches and other individuals involved at the highest levels of the game, from the list of Top 25 Finalists released in April. A Top 50 Watch List was released in January, although players did not have to be included on the Watch List to become a finalist.
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation's largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 76 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 210,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men's, Women's, Junior Boys' and Junior Girls' National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women's National Team is one of the only two women's sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive as well as claimed two World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit www.usasoftball.com.
