Lewis, Nelson Lead Five Wildcats Named To All-Big Ten Teams
5/9/2018 12:55:00 PM | Softball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Headlined by unanimous first-team selection Rachel Lewis, five Wildcats earned 2018 All-Big Ten honors Wednesday as voted on by the conference coaches and announced by the league office.
Junior Morgan Nelson joined Lewis on the All-Big Ten first team while senior Sabrina Rabin earned a second-team nod -- her fourth-career All-Big Ten accolade. Lewis and Kenna Wilkey were named to the inaugural All-Freshman team and junior Lily Novak was named the conference's top defensive first baseman on the All-Defensive Team.
NU has had at least three All-Big Ten award winners in every season since 2003. This year marks the first with five honorees since 2013. At least two Wildcats have been chosen for first-team distinction in five of the last six seasons.
Lewis earned NU's first All-Big Ten award for a first-year since Rabin in 2015 by quickly becoming one of the top run producers in the entire nation. In addition to ranking among the top-15 in the country in RBIs, home runs and runs per game, Lewis won the Big Ten overall RBI (59) and runs scored (53) crowns in 2018. She was a three-time Big Ten weekly award winner this year, and is one of 25 candidates for the Schutt Sports/NFCA National Freshman of the Year award.
Nelson picked up her second All-Big Ten honor and her first on the first team with a breakout junior campaign. She led Northwestern with a .371 average in conference play, bashing eight home runs and driving in 26 during NU's 22-game schedule. She reached base at a .535 clip. Overall on the year, Nelson has 13 home runs, 46 RBIs and a team-high 30 walks.
Nelson was a second-team honoree as a first-year student-athlete in 2016.
Rabin is the 12th four-time All-Big Ten award winner in Northwestern program history after picking up a second-team award in 2018. The 2015 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Rabin was a first-team choice that season before earning second-team honors in all three subsequent years.
Rabin is capping her career in stellar fashion with 50 runs scored and 33 stolen bases this season. She currently ranks third in Big Ten history with 128 steals and sixth with 201 runs scored. Nationally, Rabin is 21st in the country this year in steals per game, runs per game and total triples while ranking 34th in total hits.
This season, the Big Ten implemented an All-Freshman team that includes both Lewis and Wilkey for the Wildcats. Wilkey took on ace duties in the circle for Northwestern this season, compiling a 17-5 record that at one point included a personal 10-game winning streak. Wilkey's 17 wins are the most for a first-year student-athlete at NU since Lauren Delaney went 19-2 during the 2007 World Series season.
Wilkey also pounded the ball at the plate, driving in 28 runs and clubbing six home runs this season. In her very first collegiate at-bat, Wilkey smoked a three-run home run on Opening Day against San Diego State.
Novak's All-Defensive Team honor at first base makes it two years in a row with a Wildcat winning that nod after 2017 graduate Alcy Bush picked up the award last season. Novak has a .997 fielding percentage in her first year as a full-time starter, making just a single error in 319 chances. The honor is made even more impressive when considering that the majority of Novak's career starts were at second base prior to this season.
The Big Ten also announced this season's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honorees, with senior Brooke Marquez earned the distinction for NU. The career second baseman moved into right field for her final campaign in 2018, and has not missed a step in going literally all-out on every play and in every at-bat.
Junior Morgan Nelson joined Lewis on the All-Big Ten first team while senior Sabrina Rabin earned a second-team nod -- her fourth-career All-Big Ten accolade. Lewis and Kenna Wilkey were named to the inaugural All-Freshman team and junior Lily Novak was named the conference's top defensive first baseman on the All-Defensive Team.
NU has had at least three All-Big Ten award winners in every season since 2003. This year marks the first with five honorees since 2013. At least two Wildcats have been chosen for first-team distinction in five of the last six seasons.
Lewis earned NU's first All-Big Ten award for a first-year since Rabin in 2015 by quickly becoming one of the top run producers in the entire nation. In addition to ranking among the top-15 in the country in RBIs, home runs and runs per game, Lewis won the Big Ten overall RBI (59) and runs scored (53) crowns in 2018. She was a three-time Big Ten weekly award winner this year, and is one of 25 candidates for the Schutt Sports/NFCA National Freshman of the Year award.
Nelson picked up her second All-Big Ten honor and her first on the first team with a breakout junior campaign. She led Northwestern with a .371 average in conference play, bashing eight home runs and driving in 26 during NU's 22-game schedule. She reached base at a .535 clip. Overall on the year, Nelson has 13 home runs, 46 RBIs and a team-high 30 walks.
Nelson was a second-team honoree as a first-year student-athlete in 2016.
Rabin is the 12th four-time All-Big Ten award winner in Northwestern program history after picking up a second-team award in 2018. The 2015 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Rabin was a first-team choice that season before earning second-team honors in all three subsequent years.
Rabin is capping her career in stellar fashion with 50 runs scored and 33 stolen bases this season. She currently ranks third in Big Ten history with 128 steals and sixth with 201 runs scored. Nationally, Rabin is 21st in the country this year in steals per game, runs per game and total triples while ranking 34th in total hits.
This season, the Big Ten implemented an All-Freshman team that includes both Lewis and Wilkey for the Wildcats. Wilkey took on ace duties in the circle for Northwestern this season, compiling a 17-5 record that at one point included a personal 10-game winning streak. Wilkey's 17 wins are the most for a first-year student-athlete at NU since Lauren Delaney went 19-2 during the 2007 World Series season.
Wilkey also pounded the ball at the plate, driving in 28 runs and clubbing six home runs this season. In her very first collegiate at-bat, Wilkey smoked a three-run home run on Opening Day against San Diego State.
Novak's All-Defensive Team honor at first base makes it two years in a row with a Wildcat winning that nod after 2017 graduate Alcy Bush picked up the award last season. Novak has a .997 fielding percentage in her first year as a full-time starter, making just a single error in 319 chances. The honor is made even more impressive when considering that the majority of Novak's career starts were at second base prior to this season.
The Big Ten also announced this season's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honorees, with senior Brooke Marquez earned the distinction for NU. The career second baseman moved into right field for her final campaign in 2018, and has not missed a step in going literally all-out on every play and in every at-bat.
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