Jester, Ilovar First Team WVIAC Selections
Petros, Kurowski Honorable Mention

Princeton, WV, May 6, 2009---WVIAC softball coaches have awarded top 2009 player honors to a pair of West Virginia Wesleyan standouts.  WVWC second baseman Emily Nieman is the conference's Player of the Year, while teammate Patricia Moreno is the Pitcher of the Year.  Hard-hitting West Virginia State shortstop Brittany Hyatt claims the WVIAC Freshman of the Year recognition.  Seton Hill mentor Laura Cymmerman earns the nod from her peers as the WVIAC Coach of the Year.

Nieman ranks in the WVIAC top five in six major stat categories.  The Phoenix, Arizona senior is batting .425 with eight home runs and a league-high 69 runs batted in to help the Bobcats to the WVIAC regular season and tournament titles.  Her 33 extra-base hits are tied for the conference lead.

Moreno has been a force for WVWC by posting a league-leading 24-7 record and 214 strikeouts.  Another product of the Bobcats' productive pipeline from Arizona, Moreno also ranked second in the WVIAC with four saves and a 1.04 earned run average.

Hyatt, who narrowly edged Charleston's Brittany Lobell for top rookie accolades, provided West Virginia State with a .450 batting average and 49 runs batted in.  The Hagerstown, MD native blasted 33 extra-base hits, including nine home runs. 

Cymmerman led Seton Hill to a dozen-win improvement in 2009 as the Griffins improved from 14-38 to 26-20.  SHU, which was picked to finish tenth in the pre-season WVIAC coaches' poll, finished 17-9 during conference play to place fourth in the final league regular season standings.

Nieman and Moreno are a part of West Virginia Wesleyan's league-high five selections to the first team All-WVIAC squad.  1B/3B Carly McCullough, SS Trisha Thurston, and P/1B Stephanie Wheeler also represent the Bobcats.  Regular season runner-up Fairmont State has three honorees in 2B Deana Groves, C Kristy Rausch, and P Heather Shutler.

Alderson-Broaddus placed OF Lisa Boswell and P Mereaha Cooper on the top squad.  WVIAC home run leader Vanessa Ilovar and Brandy Jester are from Wheeling Jesuit.  Hyatt, Lobell, Leanne Harris (Glenville State), and Louanne Wiegand (Seton Hill) round out the first team.  Wiegand is the first Seton Hill player to earn mention on the All-WVIAC softball first team.

Jester, Nieman, Rausch, Thurston, and Wheeler are repeat selections from the 2008 All-WVIAC first team.  The complete 2009 All-WVIAC softball squad follows:

1st Team:
Lisa Boswell (Alderson-Broaddus, OF, Soph., Cedar Grove, WV, .361 BA, 4 HR, 21 RBI)
Mereaha Cooper (Alderson-Broaddus, P, Fr., Charleston, WV, 13-9, 2.21 ERA)
Deana Groves (Fairmont State, 2B, Sr., Morgantown, WV, 3 HR, 25 RBI)
Leanne Harris (Glenville State, 2B, Jr., Windsor, ONT, .391 BA, 20 SB)
Brandy Jester (Wheeling Jesuit, P/DP, Soph., Georgetown, DE, 16-9, 1.70 ERA, .301 BA, 5 HR)
Brittany Hyatt (West Virginia State, SS, Fr., Hagerstown, MD, .450 BA, 9 HR, 49 RBI)
Vanessa Ilovar (Wheeling Jesuit, 1B, Jr., Wheeling, WV, .353 BA, 14 HR)
Brittany Lobell (Charleston, DP, Fr., Chandler, AZ, .460 BA, 11 HR, 58 RBI)
Carly McCullough (West Virginia Wesleyan, 1B/3B, Sr., Bradenton, FL, .379 BA, 6 HR, 40 RBI)
Patricia Moreno (West Virginia Wesleyan, P, Jr., Phoenix, AZ, 24-7, 1.04 ERA, 214 K)
Emily Nieman (West Virginia Wesleyan, 2B, Sr., Phoenix, AZ, .425 BA, 8 HR, 69 RBI)
Kristy Rausch (Fairmont State, C, Sr., Mason, OH, .368 BA, 8 HR, 51 RBI)
Heather Shutler (Fairmont State, P, Sr., Simpsonville, SC, 17-5, 0.80 ERA)
Trisha Thurston (West Virginia Wesleyan, SS, Sr., Glendale, AZ, .309 BA, 46 R, 19 SB)
Stephanie Wheeler (West Virginia Wesleyan, P/1B, Sr., Glendale, AZ, .347 BA, 38 RBI, 18-6, 2.59 ERA)
Louanne Wiegand (Seton Hill, P/OF, Soph., Pittsburgh, PA, .336 BA, 13-7, 1.65 ERA)
NOTE: 16 players selected due to tie in voting.

2nd Team:
Britne Bacca (Davis & Elkins, P/1B, Soph., Turlock, CA, .295 BA, 7 HR, 12-19, 4.05 ERA)
Tricia Bettura (Shepherd, P/1B, Fr., Canfield, OH, 10-9, 2.44 ERA, .322 BA)
Shelby Carlson (West Virginia Wesleyan, OF, Soph., Kennedy, NY, .321 BA)
Preet Dhillon (Ohio Valley, 1B, Soph., Oakville, ONT, .354 BA, 6 HR)
Kathy Jo Getz (Charleston, 2B, Jr., Revloc, PA, .434 BA, 41 R)
Whitnie Highland (Fairmont State, 3B, Sr., Scott Depot, WV, .289 BA, 4 HR)
Diana Humphreys (West Virginia State, P, Jr., St. Albans, WV, 16-8, 1.90 ERA)
Maggie Jones (Seton Hill, SS, Jr., Leechburg, PA, .294 BA)
Rachel Mason (West Liberty, 3B, Sr., Proctor, WV, .325, 4 HR)
Jaci Miller (Ohio Valley, SS, Sr., Ripley, WV, .336 BA)
Haley Mullen (Alderson-Broaddus, 3B, Jr., Avon Lake, OH, .276 BA, 2 HR)
Mandy Parkulo (Glenville State, P, Jr., Shady Spring, WV, 16-18, 2.46 ERA)
Amber Rankin (West Liberty, P, Jr., South Charleston, WV, 11-13, 2.14 ERA)
Kayla Sturms (West Virginia State, 2B, Fr., Hemet, CA, .319 BA)
Brittany Tallhamer (Fairmont State, DP, Soph., Parkersburg, WV, .357 BA, 7 HR)
Courtni Williams (Shepherd, SS, Soph., Charles Town, WV, .326 BA)

Honorable Mention:
Casey Jo Crawford (West Virginia State, OF, Sr., Kenova, WV)
Jessie DiVittorio (Seton Hill, OF, Fr., Monroeville, PA)
Amy Edmondson (Shepherd, OF, Sr., Hamilton, VA)
Morgan Elswick (Glenville State, P/3B, Fr., Mount Nebo, WV)
Brittney Handley (Glenville State, OF, Fr., St. Albans, WV)
Courtney Johnson (Bluefield State, OF, Jr., Sevierville, TN)
Kaylyn Klatt (Concord, C/OF, Soph., Bedford, MA)
Courtney Kurowski (Wheeling Jesuit, 3B, Jr., Amity, PA)
Kelly Lauterbach (Alderson-Broaddus, OF, Jr., Alverton, PA)
Tori Lease (Salem International, SS, Sr., Cumberland, MD)
Erin Morgan (Glenville State, SS/DP, Fr., Brunswick, OH)
Lyndsey Nusser (Seton Hill, P, Soph., Pittsburgh, PA)
Angela Petros (Wheeling Jesuit, OF, Jr., Wheeling, WV)
Kat Powell (Alderson-Broaddus, P/DH, Fr., Miami, OH)
Erica Snoddy (Shepherd, P, Fr., Salem, OH)
Mandy Strom (Ohio Valley, OF, Sr., Pembroke Pines, FL)
Heather Vestal (Alderson-Broaddus, 2B, Soph., Rainelle, WV)
Amber Vineyard (Davis & Elkins, C/SS, Jr., Bedford, VA)
Maria Walker (West Liberty, OF, Fr., Pittsburgh, PA)
Heather Witt (Concord, 3B, Jr., Bedford, VA)

WVIAC Player of the Year: Emily Nieman (West Virginia Wesleyan)
WVIAC Pitcher of the Year: Patricia Moreno (West Virginia Wesleyan)
WVIAC Freshman of the Year: Brittany Hyatt (West Virginia State)
WVIAC Coach of the Year: Laura Cymmerman (Seton Hill)