May 12, 2005
Senior Steffany Stenglein was named the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year at the conference awards brunch on Thursday in downtown South Bend, Ind., earning the league’s top pitcher award for the second consecutive season. The Irish also had eight players earn all-BIG EAST honors, led by first team awardwinners senior Megan Ciolli, freshman Katie Laing and Stenglein.
Also on Thursday, Ciolli and classmate Liz Hartmann earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V honors for the first time in their careers. Ciolli, the 2005 team captain with a 3.213 grade point average, was named to the first team and will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-American consideration. Hartmann was named to the second team, boasting a 3.251 GPA.
Stenglein ended the BIG EAST regular season with a 9-1 record, striking out 121 batters in 64.2 innings (13.2 per seven innings). She set the school record for strikeouts in a single game, sitting down 19 against Seton Hall and allowed only 24 hits in 13 league games. She is currently second on the all-time list in strikeouts at Notre Dame with 749 in her career.
Ciolli becomes Notre Dame’s third player to earn first team all-BIG EAST honors four consecutive seasons with Thursday’s honor. The Terre Haute, Ind., native led the team with a .386 batting average this season, 30 stolen bases (a single-season record at Notre Dame) and drove in 24 runs. She is also the all-time hits leader at Notre Dame.
As a rookie, Laing hit .333 in conference play, drove in 15 runs and hit three home runs (a team-high for conference play).
Also earning all-conference honors were second-team selections sophomore Stephanie Brown (.431 in conference play, 5 RBI, 7 stolen bases), senior Carrie Wisen (.413, 10 RBI, 1 HR), and junior Meagan Ruthrauff (.346, 2 HR, 15 RBI) on the second team, along with junior Heather Booth (1.97 ERA, 7-1, 64 Ks), junior Kellie Middleton (.295, 9 HR, 7 stolen bases) and junior Sara Schoonaert (.292, 6 RBI , 6 stolen bases) on the third team.
Liz Hartmann, who earned academic all-district honors on Thursday, became the eighth player to drive in 100 runs in a career this season and is currently second on the team with 33 RBI. She has hit 27 home runs in her career, five of which have been hit as game-winners in the sixth-inning or later.
Competition begins this evening in the BIG EAST Championship at 5 p.m. when No.2 Seton Hall faces No.3 Syracuse. The Irish follow at 7 p.m. against No.4 Villanova.
2005 All-BIG EAST First Team
P – Megan Meyer, Seton Hall*
P – Steffany Stenglein, Notre Dame*
C – Cassie Koenig, Villanova*
IF – Francesca DiMaria, Pittsburgh
IF – Sheri Donley, Villanova
IF – Katie Laing, Notre Dame*
IF – Laura Taylor, Seton Hall
OF – Megan Ciolli, Notre Dame
OF – Tiffany Robinson, Syracuse
OF – Tanya Rose, Syracuse
UT – Coutrney Mosch, Syracuse
DP – Cassie Morales, Syracuse
* – indicates unanimous selection
2005 All-BIG EAST Second Team
P – Erin Downey, Syracuse
P – Shannon Williams, Villanova
IF – Shawna Norris, Syracuse
IF – Meagan Ruthrauff, Notre Dame
IF – Helen Smith, Rutgers
IF – Alexis Switenko, Syracuse
OF – Stephanie Brown, Notre Dame
OF – Steph DiBiase, Connecticut
OF – Caitlin White, Seton Hall
UT – Ashley Obrest, Boston College
DP – Carrie Wisen, Notre Dame
2005 All-BIG EAST Third Team
Heather Booth, Notre Dame, P
Jackie Dempsey, Villanova, 2B
D’arcy Djakalovic, Seton Hall, 2B
Shannon Garvin, Providence, SS
Jess Gurney, Connecticut, P
Kimmy Hopkin, Boston College, CF
Kari Koller, Villanova, 1B
Kellie Middeton, Notre Dame, LF
Megan Oliver, St. John’s, DP
Casey Pickard, Pittsburgh, 1B
Allina Sainz, St. John’s, 1B
Sara Schoonaert, Notre Dame, SS
2005 BIG EAST Player of the Year
Laura Taylor, Sr., 1B, Seton Hall
2005 BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year
Steffany Stenglein, Sr., Notre Dame
2005 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year
Erin Downey, Fr., P, Syracuse
2005 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
Syracuse – Mary Jo Firnbach (head coach), Jodie Cox, Kim Doran