LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Senior Kristin Erb (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) of the National Champion Lock Haven University softball team has been named a candidate for the 2008-09 Division II Female Athlete of the Year award.

Erb is one of 11 women up for this year’s honor and she is no stranger to the award, having taken home the prestigious honor in 2006, following her freshman season.

She was also nominated as the D-II softball representative in 2007.

Erb recently capped off a remarkable career by leading the Lady Eagles to their second National Championship in four years.

She was nothing short of spectacular during the ’09 campaign.

Erb, the 2009 NCAA Championship’s Most Outstanding performer helped Lock Haven to another banner year. She went 50-5 in the circle and led the nation in ERA at the D-II level.

Her ERA was 0.47, as she only allowed 24 earned runs in 356 total innings.

Erb held the opposition to a dismal .152 batting average and struck out 399 on the way to her 50-win season.

Her 50 wins ties the D-II all-time mark for wins in a season. The 50 wins also helped run her remarkable career record to 168-18.

Those 168 wins stand alone on the top of the D-II list for most ever in a career.

Erb was also a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) First Team All-American for the fourth straight time. She was the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Central Pitcher of the Year and a First Team All-Region selection.

Lock Haven capped off the 2009 season with a National Championship in Salem, Va. LHU was 51-6 overall and has been one of the NCAA’s most dominate teams ever during a four-year stretch.

Announcement of the 2009 D-II Women’s Athlete of the Year will come on June 8.



The program has completed its 33rd year and recognizes the top woman collegiate athlete in each of 11 sports in Divisions II and III as nominees for the Division II and III Athletes of the Year. The program also honors the recipients of the Honda-Broderick Cup and the Honda Inspiration Award.

Divisions II and III athletes are nominated by national coaches associations for each of the 11 sports: basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field and volleyball. The athletes are placed on ballots emailed to all Divisions II and III Senior Women Administrators in June every year and the Athlete of the Year for each division is determined by the outcome of the voting.



In addition, the 12 Division I Honda Sports Award winners are determined by balloting throughout the year to all NCAA senior woman administrators for each of 12 sports. These Division I athletes are also nominated by national coaches associations. After balloting for each sport, the winner of each of the 12 sports is a nominee for Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year to be given the Honda-Broderick Cup. The ballot for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year completes the balloting and takes place later in June.



The Inspiration Award winner is determined separately by a call to all NCAA Sports Information Directors for nominations, making a total of 15 award recipients in the program.



The awards program is sponsored by American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and to celebrate these awards American Honda Motor Co., Inc. donates $1,000 to the women’s athletic fund of each Honda Sports Award nominee’s university and each Division II and III nominee’s university. The Division II and III winner’s institutions, along with the Honda-Broderick Cup and the Inspiration Award recipients’ schools receive $5,000 each.



A press conference will be held June 22, 2009 at Columbia University in New York City to announce and present The Divisions II and III Athletes of the Year along with the recipients of the Honda-Broderick Cup the Honda Inspiration Award.

2008-2009 Nominees for Division II Athlete of the Year:

Katie Cezat – basketball – Hillsdale College

Kristin Erb – softball – Lock Haven

Katie Hogan – lacrosse – C.W. Post

Andree Lakey – track & field – Angelo State

Yuan Quing Li – swimming – Drury

Lyndsay McBride – golf – Indianapolis

Maggie McNamara – volleyball – Concordia (St. Paul)

Sona Novakova – tennis – Armstrong Atlantic

Jessica Pixler – cross country – Seattle Pacific

Meredith Teague – soccer – Seattle Pacific

Jamie Vanartsdalen – field hockey – Bloomsburg

DIVISION II ATHLETE OF THE YEAR RECIPIENTS:

1987-88 Angela Brinton – volleyball - Cal State University, Northridge

1988-89 Janet Cobbs – volleyball - North Dakota State University

1989-90 Chrystal Hardy – basketball - Delta State University

1990-91 Tracy Saunders – basketball - Norfolk State University

1991-92 Kristina Hand – basketball - Cal Poly State University, SLO

1992-93 Christie Allen - cross country - Pittsburg State University

1993-94 Stacy Metro – volleyball - Northern Michigan University

1994-95 Charlaine Coetzee – golf - Longwood College

1995-96 Jennifer Clarkson – basketball - Abilene Christian University

1996-97 Kasey Morlock – basketball - North Dakota State University

1997-98 Danielle Penner – softball - Cal University of Pennsylvania

1998-99 Melinda Almazan – volleyball - Regis University

1999-2000 Jayne Even – basketball - North Dakota State University

2000-2001 Jessica Martin – swimming - Truman State University

2001-2002 Nicole Duncan - track and field - Cal State University, Los Angeles

2002-2003 Missy Gregg – soccer - Christian Brothers University

2003-2004 Zoila Gomez - track and field - Adams State College

2004-2005 Krystal Lewallen – softball - Northern Kentucky University

2005-2006 Kristin Erb – softball - Lock Haven University

2006-2007 Kylee Hanavan – soccer - Metropolitan State University

2007-2008 Vicky Braegelmann – volleyball - University of Minnesota, Duluth