The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Osterman wins second consecutive Honda Award
06.12.2006 | Softball
NEW YORK -- The University of Texas softball standout Cat Osterman has been chosen recipient of the 2006 Honda Award as the nation's top collegiate softball athlete for 2006, marking the second year in a row that she has won the prestigious award. The honor was announced Monday, and is based on the results of national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program, now in its 30th year.
The Honda Award is given annually to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports, along with automatic nomination for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.
The Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year will be determined by separate balloting involving all NCAA-member institutions and the winner will receive the Honda-Broderick Cup at Columbia University in New York on June 26, 2006.
"I am very honored and grateful to receive the Honda Award for the second time," noted Osterman, a four-time All-American and the all-time NCAA strikeout leader. "Each finalist put up tremendous numbers throughout the year, and it's always an honor to be in the company of players of that caliber. It's been a great year for our softball program as well. I really appreciate the Honda Award and all those who voted for me. Again, I thank my coaches, teammates and family for their wonderful support throughout my career."
Previously announced Honda Award recipients include: Kristi Miller of Georgia Tech (tennis), Kristen Kjellman of Northwestern University (lacrosse), Southern California's Irene Cho (golf), Alabama's Ashley Miles (gymnastics), LSU's Seimone Augustus (basketball), Mary DeScenza of Georgia for swimming, University of Portland's Christine Sinclair (soccer), Washington's Courtney Thompson (volleyball), Columbia University's Caroline Bierbaum (cross-country) and Maryland's Paula Infante (field hockey).
The Honda Award winners for track and field and the Division II & III winners will be announced this week.
Osterman (Houston, Texas) was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic team to take home a dominating gold medal in Athens in 2004. A record three-time USA Softball National Player of the Year, the 6'2" athlete is noted as one of the top softball pitchers in the world. This season, she set the NCAA career strikeout record (2,265) and strikeout ratio record for strikeouts-per-seven innings (14.4), and ranks No. 2 all-time in career shutouts (85). While leading the NCAA this year with an ERA of 0.37 and strikeouts-per-seven-innings (15.4), Osterman finished 38-4 with 28 shutouts and five no-hitters and led 55-9 Texas to a Women's College World Series berth (softball's final eight) for the third time in her Longhorn career.
"Once again, the Honda Award is a great honor for Cat, for our program and for The University of Texas," said Texas head coach Connie Clark, who herself earned the Honda Award for softball in 1986 while pitching for Cal State-Fullerton. "Cat was the model of consistency again this year, just as she was in 2005 when she won the Honda Award for the first time. She is well deserving of this award for both her achievements, which are incredible, and for her role as one of the greatest ambassadors of our game at the national and international levels."
Osterman has broken virtually every University of Texas school pitching record, as well as several Big 12 Conference records. As a freshman, she pitched the first perfect game in UT softball history - the first of her seven career perfect games and just one of her 20 career no-hitters. As a sophomore she was named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year after leading the Longhorns to their second-ever Women's College World Series appearance. In her junior year, she posted a season record of 30-7 with an 0.36 ERA, pitched 22 shutouts and six no-hitters with three perfect games to again garner Player of the Year laurels and a return trip to the World Series.
Osterman is a four-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American, and four-time Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year - becoming the first Big 12 student-athlete across all sports to earn a player of the year honor four times. In addition, the psychology major is a three-time member of the All-Big 12 Academic Team.
The other Honda Award softball finalists along with Osterman were senior third baseman Andrea Duran from UCLA, junior pitcher Monica Abbot and senior outfielder Sarah Fekete, both from the University of Tennessee. The nominees in softball were selected by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. sponsors the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program.
