Northwestern University Athletics
Four Future Wildcats Sign National Letters of Intent
11/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Nov. 25, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan announced today (Nov. 25) the signing of four future Wildcats to National Letters of Intent. Lauren Ackerman (St. Louis, Mo./Home schooled), Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley), Meghan Lamberth (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) and Kristin Scharkey (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) comprise the incoming class, which will matriculate to Northwestern in the fall of 2009.
"This is easily one of the most athletic classes we have brought into our program," Drohan said. "They are explosive, athletic and smart, but most importantly they are fantastic people who will add greatly to the culture of Northwestern Softball."
Ackerman was home schooled throughout high school, playing the majority of her softball career in the club ranks with the St. Louis Diamond Cats. She hits for average and power, compiling a .450 or better average in each of the last three years while clubbing 19 home runs in one season.
"Lauren is a strong, explosive player who can work almost any position on the field," Drohan said. "Offensively, Lauren hits for both power and average, and is a tremendous weapon on the bases. Lauren will feed our culture with her work ethic, her discipline and her love of the game."
Allard is a highly decorated multi-sport athlete, earning her high school conference's MVP award in both softball and basketball. Allard has excelled both as a pitcher and an offensive threat during her prep career, and is being recruited to Northwestern as an outfielder and utility player.
"Emily is an amazing athlete and she continues to simply get better," Drohan said. "She is a game changer with speed, power and versatility, and will have an immediate impact on our program from day one. Emily represents what NU is all about: the student-athlete. The work she has done in the classroom, in the community and with her peers is exceptional."
Lamberth comes from a championship background, playing her high school softball at eight-time Missouri state champion Lafayette high school while winning ASA and AFA national titles in club ball with the St. Louis Esprit. A two-time all-state selection, Lamberth holds six school pitching records and four school batting records.
"Meghan is one of the toughest competitors I have seen on the mound and in the batter's box," Drohan said. "She has a great understanding of the game and will be an integral part of our program not only because of her strong skills but also with her fearless attitude."
Scharkey is an all-state and two-time All-Sunset League selection who finished fourth at the ASA Gold Nationals with the So Cal Explosion Gold club team. She was cited by ESPN.com as one of the top outfielders at the Gold level. In addition to leading the Sunset League in hits, runs and steals as a junior, Scharkey also is an exceptional leader off the field.
"Kristin can flat out fly and she will make a huge impact within our program on both sides of the ball. She is an offensive spark and sets the tone for the game," Drohan said. "Kristin also has a great compass and continues to impress us with her incredible work academically and on the softball field. As soon as we met Kristin, we knew we wanted her to be part of the Wildcat family."
Complete bios for Northwestern's class of 2013 follow:
Lauren Ackerman
5-4 • C/U • R/R
St. Louis, Mo./Home schooled
High School: After attending public school for grades K-8, was home schooled through high school ... Took 2.5 hours of courses at Francis Howell High School, therefore was eligible for one season of high school softball ... Named all-conference, all-region, all-district and the team's top offensive player in that one season ... Played club with the St. Louis Diamond Cats since age five ... Coached by Neil Seltzer ... Batting average has been better than .450 the last three seasons ... Clubbed 19 home runs in one year ... Unofficially awarded the Dirtiest Uniform on the Team honor.
Personal: Born Lauren Alaine Ackerman on 3/8/91 ... Daughter of Janis and Thomas Jordan, and the late L. Patrick Ackerman ... Chose Northwestern over Missouri, Iowa and Missouri State.
Emily Allard
6-0 • CF/U • L/R
Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley
High School: Under Armour All-American ... first-team all-state ... Three-time first-team All-Bay Valley Athletic League ... Bay Valley League MVP in 2008 ... Batted .513 with a .679 slugging percentage and was a perfect 25-for-25 in steal attempts as a junior ... Also pitches for her high school team, racking up 444 career strikeouts in three years ... As a junior had a 16-5 record with a 0.69 ERA, 144 strikeouts and a .155 opponent's batting average ... Playing four years of club with the Sorcerer 18 Gold coached by Phil Mumma ... Team placed first at the Independence Day Tournament in Colorado and 13th at 18 Gold Nationals ... Once stole a base against current Northwestern freshman Adrienne Monka ... Also a standout in basketball as a guard/forward, was named Bay Valley League MVP in 2008 and is a two-time first-team All-Bay Valley selection .. Averaged 12.8 ppg and grabbed 8.3 rpg as a junior ... Made honor roll all four years of high school ... North Coast Section Scholar Athlete ... "Model Student" speaker to local middle school and freshman students.
Personal: Born Emily Rose Allard on 9/23/91 ... Daughter of Bill and Janet Allard ... Chose Northwestern over Notre Dame, Illinois State and Wisconsin ... Plans to major in secondary education.
Meghan Lamberth
5-8 • P/U • R/R
Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette
High School: All-region and all-state selection as a junior and senior ... Three-time All-Suburban West Conference and all-district ... Led Lafayette to the Class 4A state championship in 2007, beating previously undefeated Oakville in the title game ... Lafayette has won the Missouri state title a record eight times ... Holds six school pitching records and four school batting records ... As a senior, compiled 24 wins with a 0.54 ERA and 242 strikeouts in 208 innings pitched ... Recorded a 60-14 career record with a 0.62 ERA and 615 strikeouts in 511.1 innings pitched ... Batted .416 with a .723 slugging percentage during senior year ... Coached by Scott Denoyer ... Played three years of club with the St. Louis Esprit and one with the KC Peppers ... The Esprit were the 2007 ASA 18 A National champions as a 16U team after placing second at the AFA 16U Nationals ... In 2006, the Esprit won the AFA 14U national championship ... Earned `A' honor roll status all four years of high school, including a weighted 4.0 GPA during the 2008 fall season.
Personal: Born Meghan Louraine Lamberth on 2/22/91 ... Daughter of Tim and Donna Lamberth ... Has an older brother, Clayton, who attends Missouri, and a younger brother, Jacob ... Chose Northwestern over Illinois, Kansas and Southern Illinois ... Plans to major in engineering.
Kristin Scharkey
5-7 • OF • L/R
Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza
High School: Named first-team All-Sunset League and All-CIF, and second-team All-Orange County and All-State Underclass as a junior ... Led team to Sunset League championship and the CIF quarterfinals ... First-team All-Sunset League as a sophomore ... Batted .478 with a Sunset League-best 30 runs, 44 hits and 27 steals during junior season ... Plays club with the So Cal Explosion Gold ... Coached by Joe Weddle ... Cited by ESPN.com as one of the top oufielders at the Gold level due to her "speed and offensive skill coupled with her guts and precision in the outfield" ... ESPN.com also lauded "her ability to bounce the ball, bunt and hit for power (makes her) a true triple threat" ... Club team finished fourth at the 2008 ASA Gold Nationals and 17th at the 2007 ASA Gold Nationals ... Listed in the top-50 SPARQ Ratings of 2006 ... Three-time scholar athlete and winner of the Distinguished Aztec Award for academics ... Member of the National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation and Collegiate Scholar Program ... AP Scholar with Honor.
Personal: Born Kristin Lee Scharkey on 4/3/91 ... Daughter of Brian and Cindy Scharkey ... Father played baseball at Pepperdine ... Chose Northwestern over Stanford, Washington, DePaul and UC Davis ... Plans to major in journalism.
