University of Tennessee Athletics
LADY VOL SOFTBALL HISTORY AND RECORDS
December 16, 2002 | Softball
Dec. 16, 2002
THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
"The Standard for Excellence"
The Southeastern Conference, with its storied 70-year history of athletic achievements and academic excellence, has built perhaps the greatest tradition of intercollegiate competition of any league in the country since its inception in 1933.
The 2001-02 academic year was another season to remember for the SEC as conference teams captured six national titles and seven national runner-up finishes. Between the years of 1990 and 2002, the SEC won 87 national team championships for an average of more than seven per year.
Tennessee and LSU won the conference's first NCAA titles of the year, respectively, in men's and women's indoor track. Auburn won the women's swimming & diving title, while Alabama won women's gymnastics. LSU and South Carolina also won the men's and women's outdoor track & field championships, respectively. Florida finished third in the Sears Trophy final standings without winning a national title.
Overall, the SEC finished in the top two in 10 of its 20 sponsored sports and in the top five in 15 of the 20 sports. Eight SEC teams participated in football postseason bowls with Florida finishing highest in the polls. Six men's and eight women's basketball teams were invited to the NCAA Tournament with Tennessee advancing to the Women's Final Four. Seven teams advanced to postseason play in baseball with South Carolina finishing second in the College World Series. With 156 teams, almost eight per sport, advancing to NCAA postseason competition, the SEC continued to solidify its place as the nation's premier conference.
In addition to the six team championships, 65 SEC student-athletes garnered individual national championships, while 334 individuals were awarded with first-team All-America honors. Student-athletes around the league continued to excel in the classroom as well with 1,353 earning recognition on the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
On the national all-sport level, the SEC placed six teams in the top 25 of the Sears/NACDA Director's Cup rankings. Florida led the league with a third-place finish. Georgia placed eighth, while LSU was 10th, South Carolina finished 11th, Tennessee 12th and Auburn 19th to round out the league's top 25 finishes. Nine of the SEC's 12 schools finished in the top 50 of the Sears Cup standings. Alabama (32), Arkansas (35) and Kentucky (36) were also among that group.
| SEC QUICK FACTS |
Founded: 1933
Members (12):
? ?Alabama
? ?Arkansas
? ?Auburn
? ?Florida
? ?Georgia
? ?Kentucky
? ?Louisiana State
? ?Mississippi
? ?Mississippi State
? ?South Carolina
? ?Tennessee
? ?Vanderbilt
Commissioner: Michael L. Slive
Address:
? ?2201 Richard Arrington Blvd. North.
? ?Birmingham, AL 35203
Softball Contact: Tim Andrzejewski
E-Mail Address: mediaintern@sec.org
Phone Number: (205) 458-3000
Media Relations: (205) 458-3010
Fax Number: (205) 458-3030
| SOFTBALL IN THE SEC |
After only six years of existence, Southeastern Conference Softball continues to make a name for itself across the nation. The sport came under the auspices of the SEC for the 1996-97 season. Since that time, nine teams have made appearances in the NCAA Championships, including three Women's College World Series berths. Eight teams have made Top 25 appearances and two teams have climbed into the Top 10 of the NFCA/USA Today poll.
South Carolina is the flagship team of the league with a rich history in softball dating back more than 25 seasons. The Lady Gamecocks have made 10 NCAA Regional and three Women's College World Series appearances.
Mississippi State played softball for five seasons during the 1980s before resuming the sport when it was added to the SEC. Tennessee added softball prior to the 1995-96 school year, one season before its inception into the SEC.
Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU and Mississippi began softball programs in 1996-97 to give the league 11 representatives (Vanderbilt does not sponsor softball).
In its first six seasons, the SEC has watched its newest sport gain in competitiveness and popularity. The conference became eligible for an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships for the 1999 season and SEC Softball has continued to rank among the best of the national powerhouses. Last season, the league sent seven teams to NCAA Regionals: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State and South Carolina.
| 2002 SEC SOFTBALL AWARDS |
| FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC | ||
| Shelley Laird | P | Alabama |
| Britni Sneed | P | LSU |
| Lyndsey Angus | C | Kentucky |
| Christy Connor | IF | LSU |
| Nikki Jones | IF | Kentucky |
| Jackie McClain | IF | Alabama |
| Kim Wendland | IF | Georgia |
| Kellie Wilkerson | DP/UTL | Mississippi State |
| Nicole Barber | OF | Georgia |
| Iyhia McMichael | OF | Mississippi State |
| Ashley Moore | OF | Auburn |
| Trena Peel | OF | LSU |
| SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC | ||
| Megan Matthews | P | South Carolina |
| Kristin Schmidt | P | LSU |
| Lacy Prejean | C | Alabama |
| Kasey Angulo | IF | Auburn |
| Amber Curtis | IF | South Carolina |
| April Janzen | IF | LSU |
| Jackie Marchetta | IF | Florida |
| Mandy Schuerman | DP/UTL | Florida |
| Adrianna Baggetta | OF | South Carolina |
| Beth Fogle | OF | Kentucky |
| Erin Johnson | OF | LSU |
| Jackie Wilkins | OF | Alabama |
| TRI-COACHES OF THE YEAR | ||
| Joyce Compton, South Carolina; Tina Deese, Auburn; Yvette Girouard, LSU | ||
| PITCHER OF THE YEAR | ||
| Trena Peel, LSU | ||
| PITCHER OF THE YEAR | ||
| Britni Sneed, LSU | ||
| CO-FRESHMEN OF THE YEAR | ||
| Sara Dean, Auburn; Mandy Schuerman, Florida | ||
