Allyson Fournier, a senior pitcher from Tufts University, was named the softball nominee for the Class of 2015 Division III Honda Athlete of the Year as announced by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.
She is once again designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DIII Honda Athlete of the Year honor. This will be voted on at the end of the academic year by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of THE CWSA program, now in its 39th year.
“It’s a great honor to be selected as the DIII sports award nominee for softball from among many great players in the nation this year,” said Fournier. “I was thrilled to be chosen as DIII’s Honda Woman Athlete of the Year in 2013 and had a great experience at the event. I am proud to be included among the nominees in all sports for this national award again.”
Fournier is a three-time softball nominee for the Honda Athlete of the Year award and won the DIII Honda Athlete of the Year honor in 2013. Over her career she has led Tufts to three-straight national titles, a 111-5 record and two Tournament Most Outstanding Player awards.
The senior from Windsor, Conn., is a four-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) first-team All-American and a four-time NESCAC Pitcher of the Year.
This season she led the nation in earned run average (0.20), shutouts (22), strikeouts (422), strikeouts per seven innings (14.0) and victories with a 35-0 mark. She threw five no-hitters including two perfect games this spring and had a scoreless innings streak of 105.1 that is the longest ever in Division III history.
“For Allyson to be named as the softball nominee for the DIII Honda Woman Athlete of the Year award three times in a row is a great honor and a testament to her outstanding career at Tufts,” said head coach Cheryl Milligan. “She is an incredible competitor who was at her best in the biggest moments. It’s been a remarkable run with her and the team and this is recognition is another milestone that we cherish.”
All sports nominees from DIII and DII become a finalist for the prestigious 2015 Honda Collegiate Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented in June. The sports nominees are recognized in 11 DIII and DII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.
THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 39 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 $3.0 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.