SAN -- After a dream season in which BYU racked up 41 wins and ran away with the Mountain West Conference regular season championship, several Cougars were honored by the MWC for their contributions to the team's success. Senior Lauren Watson-Perry took home Player of the Year honors while BYU placed a conference-high six athletes on the All-MWC team, including Debbie Dodds, Ianeta Le'i, Ashlyn Russell, Summer Tobias, Daniella Urincho and Watson-Perry.
"We've known all year long that we had a very special group here and a very talented team," said BYU head coach Gordon Eakin. "Even when we couldn't hold off the injuries, other players were there to step up and keep us in the hunt. These awards are very well-deserved."
The Cougars led the league throughout the season, eventually finishing with a 41-12 overall record, including a 16-2 mark in MWC play, and taking home the regular season trophy. BYU is ranked fourth in the nation in scoring with 6.3 runs per game and ninth in the nation in batting average, hitting .319.
Catcher Watson-Perry took home the night's big individual award, winning Player of the Year honors despite having been out the last two weeks with a broken hand. Watson-Perry is currently ranked 13th in the nation in batting average, hitting .438, and seventh in runs per game with 1.0. She was recently drafted 21st overall in the Ladies Pro Fastpitch Association (LPFA) senior draft.
"I was honestly shocked," said Watson-Perry. "It's great to be recognized for doing something that I love anyway. It's an especially good way to end the season."
Watson-Perry attributes all of her success this year to a great supporting cast.
"This is really all about my team," she said. "As the team improved and came together, it was a tremendous help to me individually. I have confidence in my abilities because I know everyone out there is working hard and doing the best they can to get the win."
Senior Dodds, a returning West All-Region outfielder, finished the season second in the league in slugging percentage (.765), on base percentage (.466) and home runs (5) and was fourth in batting average, hitting .392, in conference play.
Junior Le'i, last year's MWC Player of the Year, led the league and was 24th in the nation in runs batted in with 50 and came in third in home runs (10) and fourth in batting average (.357) in overall play.
Fellow junior Russell currently ranks 10th in the nation in home runs per game with .32 and compiled a league-leading 17 long balls this season. Russell was also second in the league in slugging percentage (.732) and RBI's (46).
Junior pitcher Summer Tobias pitched 15 complete games this season and made 30 appearances, earning a 17-6 overall record with 97 strikeouts and a 1.71 ERA, which ranked third in the MWC. Urincho was close behind with a 14-2 overall record, 67 strikeouts and a 1.82 ERA in 20 appearances, including 13 complete games.