2012-13 Division III Athlete of the Year – Allyson Fournier

LOS ANGELES, California (June 6, 2013) --- The Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) will present Tufts University softball player, Allyson Fournier, a sophomore pitcher from South Windsor, Conn. who led the Jumbos to their first national championship title, with the Honda Sports Award as NCAA Division III Athlete of the Year as part of its live telecast of the 2013 Honda Cup on ESPNU on Monday, June 24th at the USC Galen Center Founders Room in Los Angeles, Calif. 

“It is an honor to be receiving the Honda Award, and I am humbled to have been selected from among the other talented athletes in Division III athletics.  I am grateful for the support of my teammates, coaches, family, and the Tufts community throughout this journey.  I feel privileged to have made many unforgettable friends and memories, and I am excited to participate in two more years of DIII athletics,” said Fournier.

Fournier, named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, led the Jumbos to a 6-5 come from behind victory over SUNY-Courtland, striking out her last 7 out of 8 batters in the NCAA Div. III women’s softball national championship held in Eau Claire, Wisc.  In the first 3 games of the NCAA tournament, Fournier allowed only 1 run and 12 hits in 22 innings.  In the title game, Fournier allowed only 5 runs and 12 hits in 7 innings, with no walks and 8 strikeouts.  The 7th ranked Jumbos Tufts are the first New England team to win the NCAA Softball Championship since Eastern Connecticut State University in 1990, and ended the season with a 46-3 record en route to their first-ever national championship title.  Fournier ends her sophomore campaign with a 25-1 record and leads the nation in ERA (0.59) with only 13 earned runs.  She struck out 272 batters in 154 innings with 2 saves.

“Allyson is a fierce competitor on the mound, a humble teammate in the locker room and a workaholic on the practice field. It is no coincidence that these attributes have led to such a prestigious award. She is a huge part of our team and has fit into our culture seamlessly by being the kind of kid who makes a coach proud and fellow teammates better, all the while maintaining an unassuming air. We could not have achieved our team success without her” said Tufts softball head coach Cheryl Milligan.

The Honda Sports Award for Division III Athlete of the Year is presented annually to the top woman athlete, chosen from 11 NCAA-sanctioned sports, with each having one nominee derived from coaches’ panels, All-America committees or finish at the respective national championship.   Sports include: basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Fournier was chosen by a vote of coaches from NCAA member schools.    Finalists included Univ. of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Samantha Barber (basketball), Univ. of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Christy Cazzola (cross country), MIT’s Molly McShane (field hockey), Univ. of Texas at Tyler’s Laura Lindsey (golf), Salisbury University’s Ashton Wheatley (lacrosse), Messiah College’s Alexandra Brandt (soccer), Williams College’s Caroline Wilson (swimming/diving), Middlebury College’s Lok-Sze Leung (tennis), Illinois College’s Melissa Norville (track & field), and Calvin College’s Lizzie Kamp (volleyball).

The Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 37 years, recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.   Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $2.7 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.