Fearsome Foursome: Skyhawks Named All-Academic

Easton, Mass. - Seniors Biology majors, Jaime Ippolito (Chelsea, Mass.) and Stephanie Folan (Glen Cove, N.Y.) lead a contingent of four Stonehill student-athletes who have been named to the 2008 Northeast-10 Softball All-Academic Team it was announced on Wednesday by the Conference office.

Ippolito makes her third appearance on the first-team, while Folan earns her second straight nod. Danielle Mason (Salisbury, Mass.), a first-team selection in 2006, returns with a second-team honor this season. Katie Mottau (Woonsocket, R.I.), meanwhile makes her second straight appearance on the second team.

Folan has had a superb senior campaign, having started all 34 contests, while batting .315. She is among the league leaders in runs scored (25) and is fourth on the team with 35 hits. Recently, she set the school record for most at-bats in a career and now has 483.

Ippolito, who has split time in the circle and in the outfield, is batting .352 and has a 1.73 ERA in 32.1 innings. The highlight of her season came on April 3rd when she pitched the first perfect game in school history in a 6-0 win over Franklin Pierce. For the season, she is 4-1 with two complete games, has a league-leading four saves and has nearly a 3-1 strikeout to walk ratio (19-7). At the plate, she is seventh in the Conference in RBI (27) and tied for ninth in homeruns (4) while leading the Skyhawks in hits (38).

Mason, an English major with artistic interests, leads the team in wins (7) and has three complete games and one shutout. Her 27 career wins are tied for fourth most in school history. Her best performance of the season came in a complete game shutout of Assumption, where she allowed just five hits and struck out three.

Mottau, an Early Education major, sports a 6-6 record and leads the team in complete games (7) and is among the Conference leaders in innings pitched (84.2), strikeouts (41) and opponents batting average (.256).

To be eligible for selection to the academic teams, a student-athlete must have met and/or exceeded the following minimum requirements: 1) participated in at least half of the team's competitions and be either a starter or significant contributor; 2) achieved a 3.2 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale); and 3) completed at least one academic year at his/her current institution. The Northeast-10 All-Academic Teams are chosen by a vote of the Northeast-10 Sports Information Directors.

First-Team
Lyndsey Balinskas, LeMoyne
Karissa Bettencourt, Southern New Hampshire
Katelyn Billings, St. Michael's
Laurie Boland, Southern New Hampshire
Julie Brodie, UMass-Lowell
Stephanie Folan, Stonehill
Alex Hitchcock, Bentley
Jaime Ippolito, Stonehill
Briana Kneeland, Bentley
Sarah Reed, LeMoyne
Kate Surgen, Franklin Pierce

Second-Team
Megan Caporossi, Southern Conn.
Vicky Cotter, Merrimack
Jennifer Farrelly, LeMoyne
Dina Ferriero, Bentley
Alton Frisbie, Pace
Dana Jo Ketchel, Pace
Stacey Lajoie, UMass-Lowell
Danielle Mason, Stonehill
Bailey Phillips, LeMoyne
Kiryl Shada, Pace
Lauren Symonick, Assumption
Kate Thomas, Bryant
Christina Wolfe, Southern Conn.

Third-Team
Trish Allutto, Pace
Julie Beaudry, St. Anselm
Leigh Cavanaugh, Bentley
Caylinn Christophersen, LeMoyne
Jenna Crowell, Bentley
Katie Crowley, Merrimack
Emily Cummings, Merrimack
Ashley DeRosa, Bentley
Kathryn Mottau, Stonehill
Megan Orbon, Assumption
Kelly Schweikert, LeMoyne
Sara Swepston, American International