NEW HAVEN, CT - Georgian Court University junior catcher Heather Walker has been voted the 2007 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Softball Player of the Year in a vote conducted by the conference's 12 head coaches. Wilmington College right-hander Kim Lawrence has earned Pitcher of the Year honors, while Caldwell College shortstop Danielle Genovese was chosen Rookie of the Year. Georgian Court first-year head coach Jeff Franquet has garnered Coach of the Year honors, while Nyack College was given the annual Team Sportsmanship Award.

Walker, who was also voted to the All-CACC first team as a catcher, ranks first in the conference with 38 runs scored and 101 total bases, and she is also tied for first with 10 home runs, second with 38 RBI's, third with four triples, eighth with a .458 on-base percentage and ninth with a .394 batting average. Walker, who was voted to the All-CACC team for the second consecutive season, led the Lions to a share of the CACC regular-season championship with a 17-5 record. Walker, who is from Hanover, Ontario, Canada, and teammate Samantha Sasko are the only repeat All-CACC first team selections.

Lawrence, a freshman right-hander in her first collegiate season, leads the CACC in numerous categories including wins (18), ERA (1.26) opponent batting average (.220) and walks allowed per 7-innings (1.17). Lawrence, who hails from Wilmington, DE, also stands second in strikeouts (128) and innings pitched (156.0).

Genovese, a product of Livingston, NJ, has enjoyed an outstanding first season with the Cougars. She stands first in the CACC in hits (62) and triples (5), while also ranking second in runs (37) and doubles (13), fourth in batting average (.434), total bases (91) and on-base percentage (.509) and sixth with 11 stolen bases. Genovese and the Cougars are the second seed for the upcoming CACC Softball Tournament.

Franquet led the Lions to a share of the CACC regular-season championship in his first season at the helm with a 17-5 record to go with a 25-21 overall mark. The Lions are the top seed for the upcoming CACC Tournament after winning a tie-breaker over Caldwell. The tournament will be hosted by Georgian Court in Lakewood, NJ, from Thursday, May 3 to Saturday, May 5.

Nyack earned the Team Sportsmanship award for the sixth consecutive season. The Warriors are guided by second-year head coach Mandy Aikens.

The complete All-CACC team is listed below. Georgian Court and Caldwell both led the way with five All-CACC picks, while Wilmington, Dominican, Holy Family and Bloomfield each had three honorees.

FIRST TEAM

1B Ashley Wierema Georgian Court Sr. Mundelein, IL

2B Sarah Marsteller Holy Family So. Rising Sun, MD

SS Danielle Genovese Caldwell Fr. Livingston, NJ

3B Mallorie Mathews Bloomfield So. Fair Lawn, NJ

OF Amanda Mucaria Wilmington Sr. Newark, DE

OF Vanessa Piepszak Georgian Court So. Ewing, NJ

OF Megan Trimble USP Sr. Coatesville, PA

C Heather Walker Georgian Court Jr. Hanover, Ontario

DP Jacque Curtis Philadelphia Jr. Punxsutawney, PA

P Kim Lawrence Wilmington Fr. Wilmington, DE

P Samantha Sasko Georgian Court So. Yardville, NJ

AL Kristen de la Campa Caldwell So. Whitman, MA

AL Sarina Lavooy USP Sr. Sussex, NJ

AL = At-Large

SECOND TEAM

1B Kristine Knuth Dominican Jr. Staten Island, NY

2B Heather Bush Wilmington Fr. Hockessin, DE

SS Melanie Susen Nyack Fr. Haledon, NJ

3B Nicole Bodrog Caldwell Jr. Mount Laurel, NJ

OF Lauren Armstrong Holy Family Jr. Williamstown, NJ

OF Alyssa Speno Caldwell Jr. Waterloo, NY

OF Jamie Ollari Dominican So. Hopatcong, NJ

C Amanda Byrnes Bloomfield Sr. Ringwood, NJ

DP Danielle Garrison Dominican Fr. Coatesville, PA

P Jody Searfoss Holy Family Fr. Weatherly, PA

P Nicole Webb Caldwell Sr. Toms River, NJ

AL Vickie Berardi Bloomfield So. Linden, NJ

AL Autumn Florez Georgian Court Jr. Manchester, NJ

AL = At-Large

Player of the Year: Heather Walker, Jr., C, Georgian Court

Pitcher of the Year: Kim Lawrence, Fr., Wilmington

Rookie of the Year: Danielle Genovese, Fr., SS, Caldwell

Coach of the Year: Jeff Franquet, Georgian Court

Team Sportsmanship Award: Nyack College