FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, May 9, 2005

CONTACT: Ted Breidenthal 816/474-7264 tbreidenthal@d3independents.org www.d3independents.org

Association of Division III Independents
Names April Student-Athlete of the Month Award Winners

KANSAS CITY, MO.--- Katie Frick, the No. 1 singles and doubles player at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and left fielder Mike McCormick of New Jersey City University, were named today as the recipients of the Association of Division III Independents Student-Athlete of the Month awards for April.

A senior from LaVerne, CA, Frick went 8-3 in singles matches during April. During the month, she won 18 sets and lost only five. Two of her wins were against Division II opponents, while her three losses came at the hands of highly ranked Redlands, Claremont and Division I Santa Clara University. Currently, Frick is the 15 th ranked singles player in the West Region.

Frick and doubles partner Erika Villalobos were 10-1 in April, with their only loss coming at the hands of Santa Clara. The pair is 17-3 overall and the top-ranked doubles team in the West Region. At the OJAI Championships, Frick and Villalobos won the doubles championship after winning seven straight sets, including beating the top-seeded UC Davis, a provisional Division I program, in the finals (6-4, 6-2). Frick will compete in both the singles and doubles tournaments at the Division III Tennis Championships.

Only a freshman, McCormick hit .571 (24-for-42) during the month with a .565 on-base percentage, .810 slugging percentage and 1.000 slugging percentage while leading New Jersey City University to an 8-4 record, including 6-0 at home. McCormick, a native of North Brunswick, NJ, who ranks seventh nationally in batting average, also had 16 runs batted in, 14 runs, four doubles, three triples, four steals and 34 total bases in 12 games.

McCormick was tabbed honorable mention national hitter of the week April 19 and was a two-time New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association and City University of New York Athletic Conference Rookie Player of the Week. NJCU is hitting .350 as a team and, at 10.3 runs per contest, ranks fifth in the country. McCormick hit safely in 11 of 12 games during the month.

The Association of Division III Independents consists of 17 Division III independent institutions that have joined together to recognize student-athletes at independent institutions, and to provide exempted postseason championship competition in seven sports in 2004-05. The Association recognizes outstanding athletic achievements of its student-athletes on a weekly, monthly and annual basis. For the first time, the Association provides statistical services for its members in seven sports. In addition, it also will announce all-Independent teams at the conclusion of 11 sports this year.

All student-athletes from the Association’s 17 members were eligible for the award. Each school was allowed to nominate its top performing male and female student-athletes from April. The award recipients were selected after a vote of the Association’s Student-Athlete Recognition Committee.

More information about the Association of Division III Independents is available at http://www.d3independents.org.

 

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