Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Sweeps Initial Big Ten Weekly Honors
2/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 8, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Freshman Stephanie Churchwell (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro) has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week while sophomore Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) was tabbed the Conference's Pitcher of the Week for their performances in last weekend's Pepsi Arizona Softball Classic.
Churchwell got her collegiate career off to a torrid start, batting .553 with six runs batted in. She posted a hit in all five contests, including two hits in each of the last four games of the tournament to lead the Wildcats to a 4-1 record last week.
Against Arizona, Churchwell notched an RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning off All-American Alicia Hollowell before blasting her first career home run against Oklahoma State. She produced an .875 slugging percentage in the tournament, tallying two doubles and one home run, while successfully stealing two bases.
Canney opened the 2005 season with a pair of five-inning victories over Tulsa and Oklahoma State. The 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year honoree posted a 2-1 record, striking out 21 batters, including 10 against No. 3 Arizona, while giving up only three earned runs for a 1.31 ERA in 16 innings of work.
The honor is her second career weekly Conference laurel, as she was also selected last season on April 26.
This is the second-consecutive year Northwestern has swept the initial Big Ten Weekly accolades. Last season, Sheila McCorkle (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) and Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) were tabbed for the honors after the year's opening weekend.
