Northwestern University Athletics
Four Wildcats Earn All-Big Ten Accolades
5/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 19, 2010
2010 Big Ten Office All-Conference Release (PDF Format) 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Four Wildcats have been named All-Big Ten honorees in 2010 as chosen by a vote of the conference coaches. Senior Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine), junior Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) and freshman Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) are second-team selections while sophomore Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) is a third-team choice.
Northwestern has had at least four players chosen as All-Big Ten selections in each of the past eight years. All of the Wildcats honored in 2010 have won all-conference accolades in each of their collegiate seasons (Pauly is a four-time selection, Batts has won three awards, Monka has two honors and Allard is in her freshman season). All-Big Ten selections are made based on play in conference games only.
Pauly, the 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, batted .380 in league play in 2010, ranking third in the conference with seven home runs, a .900 slugging percentage and 20 runs scored in 18 games played. She was named Big Ten Player of the Week on April 26 after clubbing two doubles and three home runs -- including the 50th of her career -- in a sweep of Michigan State and a single-game victory over Indiana.
Batts hit .326 in Big Ten games this season, smacking four home runs and driving in 16. She was selected the Big Ten Player of the Week on May 3 after crushing three home runs and driving in 10 in a sweep of Penn State the previous weekend. That display of power prompted Wisconsin to intentionally walk her five times in NU's subsequent conference series.
Monka, the 2009 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, also batted .326 in league play this year. She recorded a team-best 19 RBIs in NU's 18 conference contests while walking 17 times to give her a .547 on-base percentage, the fourth-best percentage in the conference this year.
Allard ranked fourth in the league in batting average in her freshman season, compiling a .439 mark with 16 runs in 18 games. She led the Big Ten with 17 steals, which is the fourth-highest total in conference single-season history. Allard earned league Player of the Week honors on March 29 after four games -- including a sweep of Purdue -- in which she scored nine runs (2.25 per game) and went a perfect 8-for-8 in steal attempts (2.0 per game).
The Big Ten also announced its 20100 Sportsmanship Award honorees from each school, with freshman Lauren Ackerman (St. Louis, Mo./Home schooled) picking up the nod from the Wildcats.
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