Cornell University HEADLINES

Big Red Softball To Welcome Six Newcomers This Fall Coach Dick Blood recruits solid core of freshmen for 2003 season.

August 28, 2002 ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell softball program will welcome an outstanding freshmen to the class of 2006 this fall. Head coach Dick Blood received a commitment this past spring from Kristen Landis (Elk Grove, Ill.). Attended James B. Conant High School, is a talented pitcher and first baseman.

Prep: Four-year softball varsity letter-winner at James B. Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, IL.. named Mid-Suburban League All-Conference in 1999, 2000 and 2002... took the Conant Cougars to regional championships her freshman and sophomore years...pitched her team to a regional championship win in senior year, with two out, bottom of the eighth inning grand slam to win the title...owned every Conant pitching record her sophomore year... All-Area honoree all four years... team MVP all four years... Best Offensive Award 2001 and 2002... in her senior year, led her team to best record in schools 40 year history... IHSA Sectional hitting derby winner (2002)...earned  MVP  Award  at  the  MSL Conference  All-Star game her senior year...

Third Place ASA 18u Nationals (2002)... played for the Orland Park Sparks summer team... she did just as well academically being named an Illinois State Scholar... recipient of two Presidential Academic Awards... two time Illinois High School Association Scholastic Achievement Award (2001 & 2002)... Conant Academic Achievement Award (2002)... High Honor Roll all four years... member of Spanish Honor Society... Academic Letter Award (1999)... Academic Numeral Award (2000)... Academic Chevron Award (2001)... Mid-Suburban League All-Academic Senior Athlete Award... Prairie State Achievement Award (2002)... Cornell Traditions Fellow.

Personal: Daughter of Bob and Cheryl Landis of Elk Grove Village, IL... born September 7, 1983... majoring in Communications.

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University of South Florida

2003 Softball Preview

Playing For A Dream

Put simply, the 2003 University of South Florida softball team is playing for a dream. 

The dream of winning a conference title, the dream of a trip to the College World Series, the dream of winning an NCAA Championship.

With a particularly strong pitching staff, great leadership and a tremendous recruiting class that head coach Ken Eriksen believes makes up the best group of pure athletes that the USF softball program has ever seen, the 2003 Bulls are poised to turn dreams into reality.

Outfield

Giving the Bulls an incredible amount of depth in right field is freshman Samantha Ray.  The left-hander has impressed coaches through the fall and will most likely challenge for a good amount of playing time this spring. Her summer team (Orland Park Sparks), finished third at the ASA Nationals.

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Seahawks

The 2003 Seahawk softball squad is poised for another season on the diamond. The entire core of the team has returned to go along with seven newcomers who should fit in quickly. The Seahawks lost 17 games by two runs or less last year, so a quick turnaround is surely expected if head coach Glen Payne’s prediction of an offensive explosion surfaces.

The seven newcomers will be asked to contribute more in their first year than any in coach Payne’s tenure. The group consist of a pitcher, an outfielder, two first basemen and two middle infielders. The class of 2006 includes righthanded hurler Rebecca Colucci (Kinnelon, NJ); power-hitting first baseman Vicki Blevins (Monroe Twp, NJ); leadoff-type hitter and infielder Jessica Gilholly (Monroe, NY); gap-hitter infielder Gia Grimaldi (Hauppauge, NY); athletic first baseman Lauren Lebowitz (Long Beach, NY); strong-armed catcher Jaime Leston (Brooklyn, NY) and playmaker outfielder Christy Sykora (Orland Park, IL, Orland Park Sparks).

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Softball Inks Five Standouts

First-year co-head coaches Sarah O'Malley-Fisher and Tom Gray bring in athletic class of local and west coast talent.

Softball Home

Dec. 5, 2001Chicago, Ill. - First-year co-head coaches Sarah O'Malley-Fisher and Tom Gray wasted little time making sure that the UIC softball team's winning tradition will continue as they inked five highly-touted players to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period.

The group includes a trio of local products in Meghan Gallagher and Brittany McIntyre from 2001 Illinois State Championship runner-up Sandburg High School, and Rebecca Wilson out of Homewood-Flossmoor High School. The Flames also made sure to keep its west coast flavor with the signing of Michelle Miller, who hails from La Habra, Calif., while also inking the first player in UIC history from the state of Nevada in Reno native, Joyce Cathey.

"We are ecstatic about our first recruiting class," O'Malley-Fisher said. "We feel this is a great foundation for the direction in which we are headed with this program.

"Not only are these young ladies great softball players, but each of them is an outstanding all-around athlete," Gray continued. "Each of them could have played and excelled at any other sports. They all have a blend of power, speed and agility which will help them contribute to our team immediately.

"Meghan GallagherandBrittany McIntyreshould make a quick impact for the Flames, coming from one of the state's top high school programs in Sandburg and both teamates on one of the best summer teams in the Midwest, the Orland Park Sparks.

Gallagher, a first baseman/utility player by trade, was the Eagles leader in fielding percentage in 2001 and proved to be a big-game player at the plate. During last year's regionals, she delivered the game-winning hit in the ninth inning of the semifinals versus Richards, before going 3-for-3 in Sandburg's regional final triumph over Stagg.

McIntyre, meanwhile, is a three-time all-conference (SICA West) and all-area selection, while earning a spot on the 2000 all-state second team and 2001 all-state first team for Sandburg. The pitcher/first baseman, who was the 2001 Star Newspaper Player of the Year, went 13-6 in the circle last season for the Eagles and tallied 112 strikeouts in just 140 innings pitched.

This large class will help the Flames deal with the loss of six seniors after this season.