Van Wychen Named Second Team Softball All-American

     UW-Stevens Point senior centerfielder Jill Van Wychen has been named to the NCAA Division III National Fastpitch Coaches Association second team All-American squad after setting a Division III hitting streak record and leading the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in batting average.

     The Freedom High School graduate was also a first-team All-Great Lakes Region performer and the WIAC Position Player of the Year as the Pointers finished 21-17 overall. Van Wychen is the fourth Pointer to earn All-American honors. Kelly Rutta in 2001 and Kelly Blaha in 1998 were both second-team selections, while Dena Zajdel in 1998 was a third-team pick.

     Van Wychen set an NCAA Division III record with a 36-game hitting streak, reaching safely in the team�s first 36 games of the season. She hit .467 for the season, marking the second-highest single-season average in school history and leading the WIAC in hitting for the second straight year. Van Wychen concluded her career with a school record .399 batting average.

     �What makes Jill such a tough hitter is that she�s a great drag bunter, but you also have to respect her swinging away,� said Pointers� coach Paul Caufield. �She is a very smart player and knows exactly when to bunt and when to swing for a base hit.�

     Van Wychen led the conference with 63 hits and 39 runs scored. Her six triples ranked second in the league. The 63 hits were one short of the single-season school record. She finished her career with hits in 113 of her 130 career games, including 82 of her last 90 games.

     Van Wychen was one of three All-Americans from the WIAC. UW-Superior catcher Sarah Tarasewicz was a first-team selection and UW-Stout first baseman Erin O�Connell received third-team honors.

     Also, UW-Stevens Point senior pitcher Karen Guckenberger joined Van Wychen on the All-Great Lakes Region squad as a third-team selection. A South Milwaukee native, Guckenberger holds nearly every pitching record in school history. She is the conference�s all-time strikeout leader with 504 for her career and also holds the Division III career record for saves with 16. Guckenberger holds school career records with 58 wins, 573.1 innings pitched, 115 appearances, 69 complete games and a 1.05 ERA.