DAHLONEGA, GA - The Board of The Collegiate Women Sports Awards presented by Honda has announced that junior Sarah Phillips has been nominated as a candidate for the 2009-2010 Division II Athlete of the Year representing softball.

North Georgia pitcher Sarah Phillips was selected as the representative for softball, one of 11 sports winners to determine the Division II Athlete of the Year.

The winner, after nationwide balloting, will be awarded the Collegiate Women Athlete of the Year award for Division II. In addition to the honor of this selection, American Honda will donate $1,000 to the women's athletic fund at North Georgia, with the winner's university receiving $5,000.

Phillips pulled in First-Team All-American honors by the NFCA for the second straight season, while Daktronics awarded the Powell, Ohio, native the National Pitcher of the year as she led North Georgia with a 44-2 record on the season.

The right-hander pitched the Saints to their second straight PBC regular season and tournament championship, while anchoring North Georgia’s 51-game winning streak that stretched to the second round of the NCAA Division II College World Series in St. Joseph Missouri. The 51-game stretch was the second longest winning streak in NCAA softball history at any level.

She had 23 shutouts on the year and 41 complete games, both marks that led the nation. The Powell, Ohio, native is a two-time PBC and All-Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year, recording 294 strikeouts in 300.0 innings of work.


Below are the current 2009-2010 NCAA

Division II Athlete Of The Year Nominees.

MAGGEY BLOSKEY        Field Hockey         Bloomsburg University

JACKIE BORKOWSKI     Swimming            West Chester University

SANDRA CHANGKIJA     Golf                     Nova Southeastern University

IRIE DENNIS                Soccer                 Grand Valley State University

JOHANNAH LEEDHAM    Basketball            Franklin Pierce University

MAGGIE McNAMARA      Volleyball             Concordia University

SONA NOVAKOVA         Tennis                  Armstrong Atlantic

SARAH PHILLIPS          Softball                North Georgia

JESSICA PIXLER           Cross Country      Seattle Pacific University