2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player Of The Year Top 10 Finalists

2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player Of The Year Top 10 Finalists

2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player Of The Year Top 10 Finalists

May 10, 2017 by Chez Sievers
2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player Of The Year Top 10 Finalists
OKLAHOMA CITY --USA Softball, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, announced today the Top 10 Finalists for the 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, which will be announced at the opening of the 2017 NCAA Women's College World Series (WCWS) in Oklahoma City.

The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, which is considered the most prestigious honor in Division I women's collegiate softball, recognizes the outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female players across the country.

Kelly Barnhill Florida Pitcher - Soph.
Jessica Burroughs Florida State Pitcher - Sr.
Megan GoodJames Madison Pitcher - Jr.
Meghan Gregg Tennessee Infield - Jr.
Sara Groenewegen Minnesota Pitcher - Sr.
Katiyana Mauga Arizona Infield - Sr.
Sydney O'Hara Syracuse Pitcher - Sr.
Danielle O'Toole Arizona Pitcher - Sr.
DJ Sanders Louisiana Infield - Jr.
Jessica Warren Florida State Infield - Jr.

Now in its 16th year, previous recipients of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, the most prestigious individual honor in NCAA Division I Softball, are UCLA catcher Stacey Nuveman (2002), Texas pitcher Cat Osterman (2003, 2005 and 2006), Florida State pitcher Jessica Van der Linden (2004), Tennessee pitcher Monica Abbott (2007), Virginia Tech pitcher Angela Tincher (2008), Washington pitcher Danielle Lawrie (2009 and 2010), Stanford shortstop Ashley Hansen (2011), Oklahoma's Keilani Ricketts (2012 and 2013), Florida State's Lacey Waldrop (2014), Florida's Lauren Haeger (2015) and Michigan's Sierra Romero (2016).

This year's Top 10 Finalists are comprised of five seniors, four juniors, and one sophomore. The student-athletes selected represent eight NCAA Division I universities and six athletic conferences. Arizona and Florida State lead the way among universities with two athlete representatives, while Florida, James Madison, Louisiana, Minnesota, Syracuse and Tennessee each have one student-athlete represented.

The Top 3 Finalists will be announced May 24, while the winner of the 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be revealed on May 30prior to the start of the NCAA WCWS in Oklahoma City.

The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award is voted on by coaching representatives of 10 Division I Conferences in the 10 USA Softball Regions, members of the media who consistently cover Division I Softball across the country as well as past winners of the award.

In addition to bestowing the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, USA Softball is now in its 15th season of presenting the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll and the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week, which are announced Tuesdays during the regular season.


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