May 20, 2009
SB: JENNA VANACORE NAMED LOUISVILLE SLUGGER/NFCA
THIRD TEAM ALL AMERICAN
Starkville, Miss. - Le Moyne College sophomore pitcher
Jenna Vanacore (Hicksville, N.Y./Holy Trinity) has
been named to the 2009 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II
All-America Third Team, as announced by the association on
Wednesday night at the NCAA Division II Softball Championships
banquet at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia.
Vanacore, named to the third team as an at-large selection, has
posted a 23-3 record with a 0.80 earned run average and 171
strikeouts in 165.2 innings. She has gone the distance in 18
outings and recorded 11 shutouts, the second-best totals in the
Northeast-10 Conference. Vanacore leads the conference and ranks
5th nationally in earned run average and is second in the league
and 19th nationally in victories. Vanacore, previously named to the
2009 Northeast-10 Conference First Team and NFCA East Region First
Team, is the fifth Dolphin in the program's history to earn
All-America accolades.
"It's an amazing feeling to earn All-American honors," said
Vanacore, who has held opponents scoreless over the last 22.2
innings pitched over four appearances. "It would not have been
possible without my teammates. Kim (Baker) calls a great game
behind the plate and the defense makes great plays behind me. No
matter how well I pitch, my success comes from my teammates'
ability to hit and score as many runs as they do."
In last week's NCAA East Super Regional, Vanacore tossed four and
two-thirds scoreless innings after entering the game in the third
inning in a 4-1 loss to Georgian Court. She then posted consecutive
shutouts of the Lions to advance the Dolphins to this week's NCAA
Championships.
"I would like to welcome her to the club (of being an
All-American)," said head coach Tina Plew-Whitlock, who was an
All-American herself at South Carolina in 1995 and 1997. "She is
now a part of a select community of young athletes, who have
achieved great honors regardless of the obstacles in front of them
and who have pushed themselves to exceed their own expectations and
demonstrate consistent athleticism and a competitive drive."
Le Moyne (45-11), which has won 22 of its last 24 games and
registered the third-most wins (45) in a season in the program's
history, open play at the NCAA Championships on Thursday against
#2-nationally ranked Lock Haven at 6:00 p.m. The meeting with the
Lady Eagles will be the first ever between the two programs.
Complete list of 2009
Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America Selections
