Softball's Kristen Rivera A Finalist For Collegiate Player Of The Year Award
April 8, 2004
SEATTLE- Washington junior Kristen Rivera is among a list of 25 finalists for the 2004 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award, announced by the Amateur Softball Association and USA Softball. The award, which is considered the Heisman Trophy in women's collegiate softball and is the only national player of the year award, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country. The final list is comprised of 25 players that represent 18 colleges and six different Conferences.
Rivera, a two-time All-American, has made an asault on the Husky record books in just her first two and a half seasons at Washington. She ranks second on the career charts with 54 home runs, .500 on-base percentage and .811 slugging percentage. Rivera's .383 lifetime batting average is the third-best in Husky history, while her 91 walks rank fourth and her 172 runs batted in rank fifth.
This season, Rivera leads Washington in nearly every statistical category including average (.439), runs scored (28), home runs (13), slugging percentage (.988), walks (33), on-base percentage (.610) and fielding percentage (.991).
Rivera also appears seven time in the Pac-10 top 10 list for the 2004 season and leads the conference in home runs, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and walks.
Last season, Rivera was a top 10 finalist for the 2003 Collegiate Player of the Year Award after leading Washington to its sixth Women's College World Series.
The top 25 list will be reduced to 10 players on April 28 and three finalists will be announced May 11. The winner of the 2004 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced May 26 at the opening ceremonies of the NCAA College World Series in Oklahoma City, OK. The winner will be recognized and presented with the Player of the Year trophy during the ASA National Council Meeting in Mobile, Alabama, in November.
The 2004 top 25 Finalists include:
Monica Abbott, Tennessee
Nicole Barber, Georgia
Autumn Champion, Arizona
Christina Clark, Fresno State
Leigh Ann Ellis, South Florida
Keira Goerl, UCLA
Holly Groves, South Florida
Alicia Hollowell, Arizona
Peaches James, Nebraska
Lauren Lappin, Stanford
Jessica van der Linden, Florida State
Caitlin Lowe, Arizona
Monica Hoffman, Oregon State
Iyhia McMichael, Mississippi State
Brooke Mitchell, ULL
Stephanie Ramos, UCLA
Kristen Rivera, Washington
Heather Scaglione, Oklahoma
Kristin Schmidt, LSU
Dana Sorensen, Stanford
Jamie Southern, Fresno State
Cristin Vitek, Baylor
Kim Wendland, Georgia
Haley Woods, California
Phelan Wright, Arizona State
