Northwestern University Athletics
Four Wildcats Earn All-Big Ten Accolades on Tourney's Eve
5/11/2016 1:00:00 PM | Softball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Led by fifth-year seniors Andrea Filler and Amy Letourneau, four Wildcats earned 2016 All-Big Ten honors as voted on by the conference coaches, the league office announced Wednesday.
Both Filler and Letourneau earned first-team selections while sophomore Sabrina Rabin and freshman Morgan Nelson won second-team nods.
Letourneau also was chosen as the Big Ten All-Defensive team pitcher.
Northwestern now has had at least two All-Big Ten first-team selections in each of the last four seasons; at least three Wildcats have earned All-Big Ten accolades dating to 2002.
Filler's power and prowess at shortstop led to the second-straight All-Big Ten first-team honor for the third-year transfer. She drove in 24 runs and slugged .620 in league play with 11 extra-base hits including seven homers. Filler closed the season in spectacular style, driving in seventh-inning runs to break 0-0 ties in both the first and second games of NU's series sweep at Purdue last weekend.
Filler transferred to NU from Boston College prior to 2014; she was a second-team All-ACC choice as a freshman in 2012 before being granted a medical hardship waiver in 2013. In just three years at Northwestern, she ranks among the Wildcats' all-time leaders in doubles, home runs and RBIs.
Healthy for the first time since her sophomore season, Letourneau won her second-career All-Big Ten first-team honor and her third All-Big Ten award overall. The 2013 Big Ten batting champ at the plate and strikeout queen in the circle added another title in 2016: B1G RBI champion. Letourneau drove in 29 runs in 22 games, batting .361 with eight home runs.
Letourneau's quick-reflex brand of defense in the circle also earned her the Big Ten All-Defensive team nod at her position. Letourneau was perfect in 23 chances, recording seven putouts and 16 assists.
The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Rabin is an All-Big Ten honoree once again with a second-team accolade in 2016. Rabin batted .369 in conference play, stealing a conference-best 15 bases while scoring 24 runs and recording 31 hits to rank sixth overall in both of those categories.
Nelson made the All-Big Ten second team in her first collegiate season, leading Northwestern with a .375 batting average in conference play. Her 11 stolen bases rank second in the league behind only Rabin, and her 25 RBIs ranked her fifth. Nelson in general caught fire with the start of Big Ten play, batting .383 in the second half of the 2016 regular season with an 11-game hitting streak and an eight-game RBI streak extending from April through early May.
Senior Aubrie May also was honored Wednesday at Northwestern's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner. May appeared in 25 games as a freshman in 2013 before injuries prevented her from playing in all but one game over the next two years. Fighting and training through it all, May returned early in 2016 with five doubles and her first-collegiate home run: a blast against New Mexico State on Feb. 26 that was a moment four years in the making.
Northwestern concluded the 2016 Big Ten season with a third-place finish courtesy of a 15-8 record. The Wildcats have a bye through to the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament this week, and will open at 11 a.m. CT Friday, May 13, against either No. 6 seed Ohio State or No. 11 seed Rutgers.
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Both Filler and Letourneau earned first-team selections while sophomore Sabrina Rabin and freshman Morgan Nelson won second-team nods.
Letourneau also was chosen as the Big Ten All-Defensive team pitcher.
Northwestern now has had at least two All-Big Ten first-team selections in each of the last four seasons; at least three Wildcats have earned All-Big Ten accolades dating to 2002.
Filler's power and prowess at shortstop led to the second-straight All-Big Ten first-team honor for the third-year transfer. She drove in 24 runs and slugged .620 in league play with 11 extra-base hits including seven homers. Filler closed the season in spectacular style, driving in seventh-inning runs to break 0-0 ties in both the first and second games of NU's series sweep at Purdue last weekend.
Filler transferred to NU from Boston College prior to 2014; she was a second-team All-ACC choice as a freshman in 2012 before being granted a medical hardship waiver in 2013. In just three years at Northwestern, she ranks among the Wildcats' all-time leaders in doubles, home runs and RBIs.
Healthy for the first time since her sophomore season, Letourneau won her second-career All-Big Ten first-team honor and her third All-Big Ten award overall. The 2013 Big Ten batting champ at the plate and strikeout queen in the circle added another title in 2016: B1G RBI champion. Letourneau drove in 29 runs in 22 games, batting .361 with eight home runs.
Letourneau's quick-reflex brand of defense in the circle also earned her the Big Ten All-Defensive team nod at her position. Letourneau was perfect in 23 chances, recording seven putouts and 16 assists.
The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Rabin is an All-Big Ten honoree once again with a second-team accolade in 2016. Rabin batted .369 in conference play, stealing a conference-best 15 bases while scoring 24 runs and recording 31 hits to rank sixth overall in both of those categories.
Nelson made the All-Big Ten second team in her first collegiate season, leading Northwestern with a .375 batting average in conference play. Her 11 stolen bases rank second in the league behind only Rabin, and her 25 RBIs ranked her fifth. Nelson in general caught fire with the start of Big Ten play, batting .383 in the second half of the 2016 regular season with an 11-game hitting streak and an eight-game RBI streak extending from April through early May.
Senior Aubrie May also was honored Wednesday at Northwestern's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner. May appeared in 25 games as a freshman in 2013 before injuries prevented her from playing in all but one game over the next two years. Fighting and training through it all, May returned early in 2016 with five doubles and her first-collegiate home run: a blast against New Mexico State on Feb. 26 that was a moment four years in the making.
Northwestern concluded the 2016 Big Ten season with a third-place finish courtesy of a 15-8 record. The Wildcats have a bye through to the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament this week, and will open at 11 a.m. CT Friday, May 13, against either No. 6 seed Ohio State or No. 11 seed Rutgers.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
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