STATE COLLEGE, Pa., May 16, 2001 Three Nittany Lion softball players were selected all-Great Lakes Region which was announced today. Sophomores Erin Norton (Orange, Calif.) and Megan Humphrey (San Diego, Calif.) were named first team, while senior Karen Gulini (Easton, Pa.) was selected second team. All three are eligible to be selected all-American.
The Lions' starting first baseman, Norton earned third team all-Big Ten honors for the second-consecutive year. Second on the team with 23 RBI, she is hitting .319 on the season and was even better in Big Ten action, hitting a team-leading .377. Norton is also the only Lion to be selected Big Ten Player of the Week.
Humphrey has had an outstanding season where she broke the Penn State record for doubles in a season, belting out 15. Leading the team in hitting (.363), runs batted in (33), doubles, home runs (3) slugging percentage (.541) and walks (29), she received second team all-Big Ten accolades for the first time in her career. In just two seasons, Humphrey ranks fourth all-time in career doubles and sixth in walks.
Gulini earns all-Great Lakes Region honors for the third time. After her sophomore campaign, she was selected second team and last year was named first team on her way to all-America honors. Named third team all-Big Ten this season, she leads the team in hits (64), runs scored (37), at bats (186) and stolen bases (96), while coming in second in hitting at .344 and doubles with seven. Gulini is three thefts shy of tying the Penn State stolen base career record and places in the top 10 in six other career categories. Last year, she became the first Nittany Lion to be named all-American since 1985.
The 2001 Nittany Lion team is 32-26 overall and had a five-place showing in the Big Ten. Penn State reached its third-straight Big Ten Tournament and received its second-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. Penn State will play Arizona State at the NCAA Region 3 Tournament in Baton Rouge, La., on May 17 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Every NCAA Tournament game can be heard on WMAJ or by logging on to the official web site of Penn State Athletics at www.GoPSUsports.com.
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