COLORADO SPRINGS -- The Mountain West All-Conference softball awards were announced today. BYU senior Jodi Norton was named Player of the Year, and she is joined by four teammates on the all-conference team.
Senior Jennifer Whiteley, junior Emi Snow and freshmen Angeline Quiocho and Christie Zinanti all made the 20-member all-conference team along with Norton. The honor is the second for both Norton and Whiteley and the first for Snow, Quiocho and Zinanti.
Norton, a Mesa, Ariz., native, is the fifth consecutive Cougar to be named Player of the Year. She led the league in four offensive categories to help her team to its third 40-win season. She tallied a league-leading 23 home runs, a slugging percentage of .772, 56 RBI and 132 total bases. She currently ranks fourth in the nation for home runs, 18th in RBI and 13th for slugging percentage. Norton also set a school record for home runs in a season with 23 this year. Defensively, she collected 101 assists from the shortstop position.
Whiteley led the conference in batting average (.409) and hits (74). Snow was second in the MWC in slugging percentage (.703) and RBI (49) and posted a career-best 16 home runs. Quiocho finished the regular season tied for second in the conference with 45 runs and tied for fourth with 15 stolen bases. Zinanti recorded 19 wins on the season, good for second-best in the league.
Christie Robinson of UNLV was named Pitcher of the Year, while UNLV head coach Lonni Alameda received Coach of the Year honors. Colorado State freshman Ashley Munoz was named Freshman of the Year.