Horizon League announces softball All-League teams, specialty award winners

May 06

INDIANAPOLIS -- Sarah Clynes of regular-season champion University of Illinois at Chicago and Amanda Macenko of Cleveland State University headline the 2009 Horizon League softball award winners, who were announced Wednesday night (May 6) at the pre-tournament banquet.

Clynes was named the League's Player of the Year for the second time in three years, while Macenko was a repeat winner as Pitcher of the Year. Other specialty awards went to Sara Strickland of Valparaiso University as Newcomer of the Year and first-year head coach Michelle Venturella of UIC as Coach of the Year. All three players also were named to the All-League First Team in voting by the conference's nine head coaches.

Clynes (Florissant, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy), who was Co-Player of the Year in 2007, batted .354 with five home runs and 27 runs-batted-in during the regular season with a League-leading 44 runs and 15 doubles. In conference games, the senior infielder topped the League with a .437 batting average and 49 total bases. She also was 4-2 with a 1.11 earned-run average on the mound in League action.

Macenko (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick), a junior righthander, is the League's first repeat winner as Pitcher of the Year since former Cleveland State standout Grace Luginbuhl in 2005-06. Macenko had a League-best 24 wins and 224 strikeouts to go along with a 2.52 earned-run average during the regular season in helping the Vikings set a League record with 17 conference wins.

Strickland (Phoeniz, Ariz./Horizon), a freshman second baseman, was fourth in the League in batting average (.376) with four home runs and 20 RBI during the regular season. She ranked second with 42 runs and 27 stolen bases in becoming Valparaiso's first Horizon League softball specialty award winner.

In her first season at UIC, Venturella led the Flames to their first regular-season League title since winning three straight from 2004-06. UIC (24-24, 16-4 Horizon League) claimed the title by percentage points over Cleveland State.

Also named to the All-League First Team were UIC's Brooke Frydendall and Ashley Hewett, Cleveland State's Christa Coppus, Butler University's Bridget Paine, the University of Detroit Mercy's Ellen Sinclair, Loyola University Chicago's Kristen Medrud, and Wright State University's Allison Cox, Louie Haney and Justine Shilt. Clynes and Coppus are three-time first-team All-League selections after being second-team picks as freshmen in 2006.

The All-League Second Team featured Butler's Alex Boros, Cleveland State's Shalyn Adams, Lia Gordon and Amanda Houchin, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's Krissy Hanson, Loyola's Jenna Grim and Amy Solava, Valparaiso's Karen Korb and Ashley Wolter, Wright State's Kristen Bradshaw and Sharon Palma, and Youngstown State University's Kim Klonowski.

Joining Strickland on the All-Newcomer Team were Butler's Erin Falkenberry and Mallory Winters, Cleveland State's Mimi Mahon, Loyola's Lauren Arceneaux, UIC's Ashley Hewett and Melinda Macias, Valparaiso's Joylyn Ichiyama, and Wright State's China Frost.

The 2009 Horizon League Softball Championship will begin Thursday at Legends Field in Pendleton, Ind. Wright State is the two-time defending champion.

2009 Horizon League Softball Award Winners

Player of the Year
Sarah Clynes, UIC - OF/P (Sr.)

Pitcher of the Year
Amanda Macenko, Cleveland State - P (Jr.)

Newcomer of the Year
Sara Strickland, Valparaiso - 2B (Fr.)

Coach of the Year
Michelle Venturella, UIC

All-League First Team
Sarah Clynes, UIC - OF/P (Sr.)*#+
Christa Coppus, Cleveland State - SS (Sr.)*#+
Allison Cox, Wright State - DP/P (Jr.)
Brooke Frydendall, UIC - SS (Jr.)^+
Louie Haney, Wright State - 3B (So.)
Ashley Hewett, UIC - P/OF (Fr.)
Amanda Macenko, Cleveland State - P (Jr.)^+
Kristen Medrud, Loyola - 1B (Jr.)
Bridget Paine, Butler - SS (Jr.)
Justine Shilt, Wright State - 2B (So.) %
Ellen Sinclair, Detroit - 3B (So.)
Sara Strickland, Valparaiso - 2B (Fr.)

All-League Second Team
Shalyn Adams, Cleveland State - UT (Sr.)
Alex Boros, Butler - 2B (Sr.)
Kristen Bradshaw, Wright State - SS (Jr.)^+
Lia Gordon, Cleveland State - 1B/DP (Jr.)
Jenna Grim, Loyola - C (So.)
Krissy Hanson, Green Bay - INF (Jr.)
Amanda Houchin, Cleveland State - INF (Sr.)#
Kim Klonowski, Youngstown State - 1B (So.)
Karen Korb, Valparaiso - OF (Sr.)
Sharon Palma, Wright State - P (Jr.)%
Amy Solava, Loyola - P (Jr.)+
Ashley Wolter, Valparaiso - OF (Sr.)

All-Newcomer Team
Lauren Arceneaux, Loyola - 3B (Fr.)
Erin Falkenberry, Butler - 1B (Fr.)
China Frost, Wright State - 1B (Fr.)
Ashley Hewett, UIC - P/OF (Fr.)
Joylyn Ichiyama, Valparaiso - DP (Fr.)
Melinda Macias, UIC - OF (Fr.)
Mimi Mahon, Cleveland State - INF/C (Jr.)
Sara Strickland, Valparaiso - 2B (Fr.)
Mallory Winters, Butler - C (Fr.)

* 2006 All-League Second Team
# 2007 All-League First Team
^ 2007 All-League Second Team
+ 2008 All-League First Team
% 2008 All-League Second Team