Colquhoun named ECAC Player of the Year; Wood an All-Star
Posted: 06/27/2012
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh shortstop Jen Colquhoun capped one of the finest all-around single seasons in school history by being named ECAC Player of the Year and a first team ECAC All-Star on Wednesday. Colquhoun adds these new accolades to an impressive list that already includes Patriot League Player of the Year, first team NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region and first team Academic All-American.
Joining Colquhoun on the ECAC All-Star team was Audra Wood, who was named to the second team as an outfielder.
Colquhoun becomes the third Lehigh student-athlete to be named ECAC Player of the Year in the 2011-12 academic year, joining football’s Chris Lum and men’s basketball’s C.J. McCollum, who were honored following their respective seasons. She becomes Lehigh’s first ECAC Player of the Year in softball since Lisa Sweeney in 2008.
A four-year starter at shortstop, Colquhoun was a four-time All-Patriot League selection, including a three-time first team honoree. She saved her best work for her senior season where she batted .440, good for ninth in the nation. Colquhoun tied a school single season record with 13 home runs and led the Patriot League in runs scored (50) and triples (six), while tying for the league lead with 48 runs batted in. She was especially tough in Patriot League play, batting .533 with five home runs and 25 RBI in 20 games.
A native of Oak Park, California, Colquhoun went on to be named Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the Patriot League after helping guide the Mountain Hawks to their 12th Patriot League title. She graduated with a 3.76 grade point average in biochemistry and last month was voted Lehigh’s first-ever first team Academic All-American.
Wood picked up her first career ECAC nod with a spot as a second team outfielder. The Bellaire, Texas native was one of the catalysts atop the Lehigh lineup in 2012 batting .287 with 50 hits and 47 runs en route to earning first team All-Patriot League honors. Wood set a Lehigh and Patriot League record with 172 career runs scored, with the record-breaking run coming on a bases-loaded walk against Oregon State in the NCAA Regional.
The other three major ECAC Division I softball awards all went to the University of Massachusetts as Sara Plourde was named Pitcher of the Year, Quianna Diaz-Patterson was named Rookie of the Year and Elaine Sortino was named Coach of the Year.
The Mountain Hawks finished the 2012 season with a 40-19 record. Lehigh captured its 12th Patriot League title and its seventh in the last nine years as the Mountain Hawks advanced to the NCAA Regional tournament for the eighth time. The Mountain Hawks posted their fourth-ever 40 win season and their 12th straight season with at least 30 wins.