LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Senior Kristin Erb (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) of the National Champion Lock Haven University softball team has been named the 2008-09 Collegiate Women’s Sports Awards Division II Athlete of the Year.

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COLLEGIATE WOMEN’S SPORTS AWARDS ANNOUNCES DIVISION II & III ATHLETES OF THE YEAR -- Lock Haven University’s Kristin Erb and Hardin-Simmons University’s Ashley Huston Named Best in Their Divisions --

June 11, 2009 — Lock Haven University Division II softball pitcher Kristin Erb and Hardin-Simmons University’s Division III track and field standout Ashley Huston have been voted the nation’s top collegiate female athletes in their respective divisions. The honors were based on the results of national balloting among Division II and Division III schools as part of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program, now in its 33rd year. Each winner will be presented the Honda Sports Award for Division II and Division III Athlete of the Year respectively at a ceremony at Columbia University in New York City on June 22nd.

Kristin Erb: Second Time for Division II Honda Sports Award.

This is the second time that Reading, PA native Kristin Erb has won the Division II Athlete of the Year Award. She received the honor as a freshman in 2006, and was also nominated for it in 2007.

Erb capped her remarkable college pitching career this year, leading the Lady Eagles to their second National Championship in four years. She was voted the 2009 NCAA Championship’s Most Outstanding Performer, pitching a 50-5 season to lead the nation in Division II competition. Her 0.47 ERA allowed only 24 earned runs in 356 total innings. She held the opposition to a .152 batting average and struck out 399 on the way to her 50-win season, which tied the Division II mark for single-season wins and helped Erb achieve her outstanding 168-18 career record – the most ever career wins for a Division II pitcher.

Noted Erb, "The Honda Sports Award is an amazing accomplishment in women’s sports at the college level. Not only are you the best in your sport, you’re the best in all the women’s sports for your division. I’m very proud to have received it not only once but twice in my career. Winning this award shows that all my hard work and dedication has paid off. I couldn’t have done this without the help of my coaches and teammates and I thank them for that!"

This year Erb became a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) First Team All-American for the fourth straight time. She was also the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Central Pitcher of the Year and a First Team All-Region selection. She recently joined the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), signing a professional softball contract with the Philadelphia Force.

Ashley Huston: Indoor and Outdoor Heptathlon Champion

In her senior year at Hardin-Simmons, Ashley Huston won both the indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon NCAA Championship titles. She also won the NCAA outdoor long jump title. She set a new meet record at the outdoor championship of 5,244 points by winning the 100 hurdles, high jump and long jump and coming in second in the 200m, the javelin throw and open high jump. Her 5,244 points is the second best total ever posted by a Division III athlete. Huston also won five events at this year’s American Southwest Conference meet. She was the Division III South Central Region Field Athlete of the Year (indoors and outdoors), the Division III National Field Athlete of the Year, an All-American, Academic All-American and Academic All-ASC. Huston is the true essence of the word student-athlete. Huston graduated with a 3.737 grade point average as an Education major and already has a job as a basketball and track coach at a local Cisco High School.

Noted Huston, “It’s a great honor to receive the Honda Sports Award. I have truly been blessed with the athletic abilities God has given me and it has been exciting to represent Hardin-Simmons in this inaugural season. I am thankful for the amazing year I’ve had and the memories this year has brought. Thank you for making this year even more special.”

The other nominees for Division II and Division III were:

Division II Nominees

Katie Cezat, basketball, Hillsdale College

Kristin Erb (winner), softball, Lock Haven University

Katie Hogan, lacrosse, C.W. Post LIU

Adree Lakey, track & field, Angelo State University

Yuan Quing Li, swimming, Drury University

Lyndsay McBride, golf, University of Indianapolis

Maggie McNamara, volleyball, Concordia University, St. Paul

Sona Novakova, tennis, Armstrong Atlantic State

Jessica Pixler, cross country, Seattle Pacific University

Meredith Teague, soccer, Seattle Pacific University

Jamie Vanartsdalen, field hockey, Bloomsburg University

Division III Nominees

Marie Borner, cross country, Bethel University

Liz Decima, softball, Ohio Northern University

Liz Horvat, swimming, Emory University

Ashley Huston (winner), track & field, Hardin-Simmons University

Hillary Klimowicz, basketball, The College of New Jersey

Susan Martin, golf, Methodist University

Lorne McManigle, tennis, Emory University

Lindsay McNamara, field hockey, Bowdoin College

Amanda Naeher, soccer, Messiah College

Jen Pritchard, lacrosse, Franklin & Marshall College

Amber Thomas, volleyball, Juniata College

During the June 22nd ceremony in New York at which Erb and Huston will receive their Honda Sports Awards, the Honda Inspiration Award and the coveted Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year award will also be presented. The Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year will be determined by balloting of all NCAA-member institutions from the previously announced Division I Honda Sports Award recipients in 12 NCAA sanctioned sports.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. sponsors the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program.

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