May 10, 2007
2007 All-Big Ten Release in PDF Format
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- For the second-consecutive year, Northwestern is home to the Big Ten's Player, Pitcher and Freshman of the Year, as announced Thursday by the conference office. Senior first baseman Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) earned her third-straight Big Ten Player of the Year award, while senior Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) repeated as Pitcher of the Year. Freshman second baseman Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) is NU's third Freshman of the Year in the last four seasons.
Cooper is the first player in Big Ten history to win three Player of the Year awards after also earning the honor as a sophomore and junior. She batted .408 in conference games this year, leading the league with seven home runs and a .571 on-base percentage. Her 19 RBIs were second in the conference to Pauly's 26.
Canney is the third pitcher in Big Ten history to earn Pitcher of the Year accolades twice since the award's inception in 1992. She led the conference with 11 wins and 112 strikeouts in league games.
Pauly follows in the footsteps of Canney and sophomore Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) as Northwestern's third Big Ten Freshman of the Year in the last four seasons. Pauly led the league with 26 RBIs and 44 total bases in conference games, while finishing second with six home runs. Her 26 runs batted in is the fifth-best total in Big Ten history.
Seven different Wildcats earned All-Big Ten recognition in 2007, the second-best total in school history to the eight honored in 2003. Joining Cooper, Canney and Pauly on the All-Big Ten first team was senior outfielder Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol), who batted .400 in conference play with a league-best 26 hits.
Cooper was the lone unanimous choice for the first team this season.
Sophomore designated player Jessica Rigas (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) was named to the All-Big Ten second team after ranking third in the conference with six home runs, second with 12 walks and eighth with a .475 on-base percentage.
Williams, a shortstop, earned All-Big Ten honors for the second-straight year, this time as a member of the third team. She batted .328 in conference play, ranking fourth with 15 runs scored. She also hit four home runs and drove in 12 for the 'Cats.
Freshman pitcher Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) also was tabbed for the All-Big Ten third team after compiling a 4-1 record in conference play. In her final start of the league slate, she held Illinois -- the nation's leading home run hitting and sixth-ranked scoring offense -- without a hit for the first-collegiate no-hitter of her career.
Northwestern's seven All-Big Ten honorees is the best total in the league this year, tied with Ohio State. The Wildcats' four first-team selections is the top total, besting the Buckeyes' three.
Sophomore Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) was tabbed as Northwestern's Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree. The student-athletes chosen for this award are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The student-athletes also must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.