Nov. 14, 2011
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan announced today (Nov. 14) the signing of five future Wildcats to National Letters of Intent. The quintet comprises the Class of 2016 that will matriculate to Evanston in the fall of 2012.
Caylor Arnold (Mount Gilead, Ohio/Mount Gilead), Bri LeBeau (Worth, Ill./H.L. Richards), Aubrie May (La Mesa, Calif./Grossmont), Fran Strub (Coralville, Iowa/Clear Creek Amana) and Kristen Wood (Trevor, Wis./Wilmot Union) are part of an exciting and talented class of 'Cats that hails from five different states spanning the entire country. Two members of the class, Arnold and LeBeau, played club ball locally with the Illinois Chill, which is led by head coach Gerry Quinn -- father of former Wildcat All-Big Ten selection Kelly Quinn.
"Today is a special day for our program," Drohan said. "Caylor, Bri, Kristen, Aubrie and Fran comprise a remarkable class that will shape the future of Northwestern Softball. Their combined character, work ethic and academic aspirations are a product of what they already have accomplished through their work with outstanding high school and travel ball coaches. We are honored they have chosen to wear purple and are excited to welcome them to Evanston and the Northwestern Softball family."
Taking advantage of new NCAA legislation, Northwestern made written offers of four-year scholarships beginning with this signing period. NU always has had a policy of honoring scholarships for four years, but this marked the first opportunity to put that policy in writing.
Arnold is a multiple time Ohio All-State first team performer who competed with the Ohio Lady Lasers for many years in club ball before traveling to the Chicago area to play with the Illinois Chill last summer. In addition to leading her high school to a conference title in 2011 with a .507 batting average and an .857 slugging percentage, Arnold twice has been a member of top-eight teams at ASA Nationals.
LeBeau is an incredibly talented athlete, earning All-South Suburban Conference accolades in softball, basketball and volleyball en route to being named the 2011 Chicago Sun-Times Female Athlete of the Year. On the diamond, LeBeau led Richards to the Illinois state tournament in 2011 with a 25-3 record in the circle, compiling a 1.04 ERA and 176 strikeouts while batting .516 and driving in 56. LeBeau is coached at Richards by Julie Folliard, a member of the Illinois Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
May is a California product who finished second in the San Diego area in hits and runs scored in 2011, leading her high school to its first San Diego County Division I CIF championship since 1989. Her performance netted her first-team All-CIF, all-league and All-East County honors. May has played five years of club ball with the So Cal Explosion and Hurricanes.
Strub twice has led the entire state of Iowa in hits and runs, batting .609 with 40 extra base hits and 52 steals in 52 attempts as a junior in 2011. She was named the 2011 Class 3A Iowa Girls Coaches Association Co-Player of the Year after leading her team to the state title with a 42-2 overall record under the direction of IGSA Hall of Fame coach Jim White. Also a gifted athlete, Strub has earned multiple varsity letters in soccer and basketball at Clear Creek Amana High School.
Wood is the 2011 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Area Player of the Year and is a two-time Southern Lakes Conference Player of the Year. She led Wilmot Union High School to a state runner-up finish in 2011 with a 25-2 record, a 0.31 ERA and 302 strikeouts in 160.0 innings pitched. In the club ranks, she helped the Wisconsin Lightning to a seventh-place finish at the ASA Class A Nationals.
Complete bios for Northwestern's Class of 2016 are as follows:
Caylor Arnold
5-6 Catcher/Infield
Mount Gilead, Ohio/Mount Gilead
High School: Three-time All-Mid Ohio Athletic Conference and All-Central District first-team selection ... Two-time All-State first team choice ... As a junior, batted .507 and slugged .857 while leading Mount Gilead to a MOAC Division championship ... Batted .497, slugged .847 and stole 27 bases as a freshman while her team finished the season with a 22-4 record ... Hit .467 with an .811 slugging percentage as a sophomore in 2010 ... Played 10 years of club with the Ohio Lady Lasers before playing last season with head coach Gerry Quinn and the Illinois Chill ... In 2005, named USSSA World Series MVP after leading the Lady Lasers to the World Series championship ... Team finished 10th at ASA Nationals in 2006 and eighth in 2010 ... Also lettered two years in indoor track and one year in basketball ... Honor Roll, Merit Roll and National Honor Society member ... MOAC Student-Athlete Award ... The American Legion Americanism and Government Program county winner.
Personal: Born Caylor Janae Arnold ... Daughter of Bill and Tess Arnold ... Enjoys nature photography ... Chose Northwestern over Louisville, Miami (Ohio), Ohio State, Indiana, Penn State and Kent State ... Plans to major in civil engineering.
Bri LeBeau
5-11 Pitcher
Worth, Ill./H.L. Richards
High School: 2011 Chicago Sun-Times Female Athlete of the Year and Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year ... Three-time All-South Suburban Conference selection ... 2009 All-SSC Red Division Player of the Year ... 2010 Chicago Tribune All-State and Chicago Sun-Times and Southtown Star All-Area ... Competed in the Chicago Tribune All-Star Game ... Compiled a 25-3 record with a 1.04 ERA, 176 strikeouts, a .516 batting average and 56 RBIs while leading Richards to an eighth-place finish in the state in 2011 with a 32-3 record ... High school coach is Julie Folliard, a member of the Illinois Coaches Association Hall of Fame ... Also competed as a prep in basketball (four letters) and volleyball (three letters) ... Three-time All-SSC and 2010 SSC Red Division Player of the Year in basketball ... 2010 All-SSC in volleyball ... Played club with the Oak Park Windmills from 2007-10 and with Gerry Quinn and the Illinois Chill from 2010-11 ... National Honor Society member ... Earned Honors with Distinction recognition.
Personal: Born Brianna Susanna LeBeau ... Daughter of Bruce and Susan LeBeau ... Sisters Amanda and Brittany matriculated to UW-Whitewater to play softball ... Attended the same high school as Dwayne Wade ... Plans to major in political science.
Aubrie May
5-6 Infield
La Mesa, Calif./Grossmont
High School: As a junior in 2011, named first-team All-CIF, all-league, All-East County and all-academic ... Finished second in San Diego in hits and runs scored in 2011, batting .421 ... Scored the winning run in the 2011 San Diego County Division I CIF championship game ... Title was the first in the CIF for this older, smaller school since 1989 ... Hit .454 in her sophomore year in 2010, earning first-team all-league and All-East County honors ... Also won the Breitbard Athletic Achievement award in 2010 ... As a freshman in 2009, voted All-East County freshman team and all-league second team ... Three-time Golden Bat award winner ... Played five years of club with the So Cal Explosion and Hurricanes ... Coached by Joe Weddle with the Explosion ... Finished fifth at the National Premier tournament in 2010 ... Carries a 4.33 GPA.
Personal: Born Aubrie Michaela May ... Daughter of Tom May and Stephanie May ... Chose Northwestern over San Diego State, UCLA and Virginia ... Plans to major in psychology.
Fran Strub
5-7 Outfield
Coralville, Iowa/Clear Creek Amana
High School: As a junior, led the state of Iowa with 92 hits in 151 at-bats (.609 average) and 87 runs scored ... Also recorded 15 doubles, 13 triples, 12 home runs, 54 RBIs, 25 walks and 52 steals in 52 attempts ... During sophomore season, led the state of Iowa in hits (80), runs (80) and triples (18), batting .548 with a .618 on-base percentage and a 1.021 slugging percentage ... 2011 Class 3A Iowa Girls Coaches Association Co-Player of the Year ... 2010 and 2011 Class 3A All-State first team ... Four-time first-team All-WaMac Conference ... Three-time all-district first team ... 2011 Iowa City Press Hitter of the Year ... 2010 Class 3A Iowa state all-tournament team ... Team MVP in 2009 and team offensive player and newcomer award winner in 2008 ... Once stole eight bases in a single game in July of 2009 at Cedar Falls ... Team won the 2011 Class 3A Iowa state title with a 42-2 record after finishing fourth in the state with a 39-7 mark in 2010 ... High school coach is Jim White, a member of the IGSA Hall of Fame ... Played club with the Eastern Iowa Barracudas from 2007-10 before competing with the Southeast Iowa All-Stars in 2011 ... Also earned multiple varsity letters in soccer and basketball at Clear Creek Amana ... Four-year honor roll member ... Two-time NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete.
Personal: Born Francis O'Brien Strub ... Daughter of Carl (Trip) and Ellen Strub III ... Actor Ashton Kutcher graduated from Clear Creek Amana ... Chose Northwestern over Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, Drake and Northern Iowa ... Plans to major in learning and organizational change.
Kristen Wood
6-0 Pitcher
Trevor, Wis./Wilmot Union
High School: Two-time Southern Lakes Conference Player of the Year ... Three-time All-Southern Lakes Conference first team, All-County first team and team MVP ... Earned All-State second team honors as a freshman and first-team accolades as a sophomore and junior ... 2011 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Area Player of the Year ... Entering her senior year, has a career record of 53-8 with a 0.42 ERA and 692 strikeouts in 382.0 innings of work ... As a junior, led Wilmot Union to a state runner-up finish with a 25-2 record, a 0.31 ERA and 302 strikeouts in 160.0 innings pitched ... Threw the eighth no-hitter in state tournament history ... Once fanned 17-straight batters in a Southern Lakes Conference contest ... Recorded 15-straight shutouts at one point during her prep career ... Has led Wilmont Union to three conference titles and two total state tournament appearances ... Played seven years of club with the Wisconsin Lightning, earning seventh place at the ASA Class A Nationals ... Club coach is Scott Hermes ... Honor roll member.
Personal: Born Kristen Marie Wood ... Daughter of Jerry and Dawn Wood ... Volunteers at a no-kill animal shelter ... Chose Northwestern over Wisconsin ... Plans to major in life and biomedical sciences.
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