DAVIS & KILCOYNE NAMED TO NFCA ALL-REGION & ECAC SQUADS

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Emmanuel College softball players Catherine Davis (Wethersfield, Conn.) and Jill Kilcoyne (Worcester, Mass.) have been named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Northeast Region First Team it was announced on May 11 by the NFCA. The duo also earned All-ECAC honors as announced by the Eastern College Athletic Conference on June 10. Kilcoyne was named to the ECAC D-III New England First Team while Davis earned Second Team honors.

All-Region players are nominated and selected by NFCA member coaches in each of the eight Division III regions. Davis and Kilcoyne are two of three players on the Northeast Region First Team from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC). ECAC accolades are voted by Head Coaches within each region and again the duo are two of only three players on the squad from the GNAC.

The honors continue to pile up as both players were voted earlier this season as First Team All-GNAC selections and Kilcoyne earned the conference's top pitching honor as the 2015 GNAC Pitcher of the Year.

Davis, Emmanuel's starting shortstop, is making her second appearance on the GNAC All-Conference squad, after also being tabbed a First Team selection last year as a sophomore.  In 2015, Davis led the Saints offensively with her .427 batting average, 4.86 on-base-percentage and .669 slugging percentage.  Davis' batting average ranked her 6th among the GNAC leaders and her total of 53 hits this season ranked 3rd in the GNAC. Her 13 doubles ranked her 2nd in the league, while her five homers fell into 5th among the GNAC's top sluggers.

Hitting in Emmanuel's lead-off spot all season, Davis was Emmanuel's leader in runs-batted-in with 30 on the year.  The junior captain was named to the GNAC Weekly Honor Roll three times this season.  In the field, Davis posted a .918 fielding percentage with 65 put-outs and 58 assists with just 11 errors on the year.

Kilcoyne earned GNAC Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-GNAC honors after her stellar performance in the circle for Emmanuel throughout the 2015 campaign. The sophomore hurler struck out an incredible 183 batters this season, 80 more than the next best pitcher in the league.  Her 183 K's ranked Kilcoyne 11th nationally with 9.7 strikeouts per seven innings.  Kilcoyne also posted the lowest earned-run-average in the GNAC with her 1.59 ERA.  Emmanuel's ace threw 16 complete games and rolled to a record of 13-7 on the year.

Kilcoyne is made her second appearance on the GNAC All-Conference squad, after receiving Second Team recognition last year as a rookie.  Kilcoyne was named to the GNAC Weekly Honor Roll twice and both the GNAC and ECAC New England Pitcher of the Week on April 6th.

The Saints wrapped the 2015 season with a 20-17 record and with no seniors in the lineup, will look to build off of their GNAC Semifinals appearance next season.

2015 ECAC Division III New England Softball All-Star Team

ECAC Player of the Year: Cassie Ruscz, So., Tufts University

ECAC Pitcher of the Year: Allyson Fournier, Sr., Tufts University

ECAC Rookie of the Year: Nina Murphy-Cook, Fr., WPI

ECAC Coach of the Year: Cheryl Milligan, Tufts University

First Team

C- Raven Fournier, Fr., Tufts University

1B- Cassie Ruscz, So., Tufts University

*2B- Francesca Galeazzi, Fr., Salve Regina University

*2B- Courtney Leddy, So., Bridgewater State University

SS- Alison Michalik, So., Williams College

3B- Nina Wojtkiewicz, Sr., Western Connecticut State University

DP- Kat Maehr, Jr., Middlebury College

*OF- Nina Murphy-Cook, Fr., WPI

*OF- Michelle Cooprider, Sr., Tufts University

*OF- Emma Hart, Jr., Wheaton College

*OF- Simone Frank, Sr., Williams College

UT- Theresa Hendrix, Sr., St. Joseph's (ME.)

*P- Allyson Fournier, Sr., Tufts University

*P- Ellie Fodor, Sr., MIT

*P- Kayla Wood, So., Castleton

*P- Jill Kilcoyne, So., Emmanuel College

Second Team

C- Genevieve Benoit, Jr., Salve Regina University

1B- Caroline Fairbanks, So., Wheaton College

2B- Samantha Mulhern, Sr., Western New England University

*SS- Nikki Bukovsky, So., Salve Regina University

*SS- Catherine Davis, Jr., Emmanuel College

3B- Emily Bouthillette, So., Wheaton College

DP- Mikayla Lambert, Fr., Curry College

*OF- Ama Biney, Fr., WPI

*OF- Mekenzi Golden, So., Lesley University

*OF- Sheri Liggiero, Jr., Newbury College

*OF- Amanda Vallante, Jr., University of New England

UT- Emily Berardi, Sr., Wheaton College

*P- Brooke Bovier, So., Williams College

*P- Julia Geaumont, Jr., Bowdoin College,

*P- Meghan Rich, Jr., Worcester State University

*P- Lauren Zambrano, Sr., Western New England University

*Additional players added due to ties