Six Lady Bears Receive USCAA Year End Honors

AKRON, OH - Alyson Chiaramonte (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic), Caitlyn Kakavas (Bayside, NY/St. Agnes) and Danielle Marino (Maspeth, NY/Mary Louis) were named United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Softball All-Americans, highlighting six Lady Bears named to the All-American and All-Academic Teams. Marino also was named to the National All-Academic Team, becoming the first Bear or Lady Bear in any sport to receive both honors at the same time. The teams were announced at the banquet commencing the 2011 USCAA National Softball Championships.

Chiaramonte, a junior pitcher, receives All-American honors for the third straight year and it is the first for junior Kakavas and sophomore Marino. The three All-American selections also marks the most in program history.  Lisa Scheer (Bayside, NY/Mary Louis) was given All-American Honorable Mention rounding out the Lady Bears named to the All-American teams.

Seniors Jackie Marinello (Brooklyn, NY/Fontbonne Hall) and Christina Girardi (Floral Park, NY/St. Francis Prep) each earned National All-Academic Team recognition for the third straight year. All-Academic Team members must be sophomores or higher with a cumulative 3.5 GPA to earn the distinction.

Chiaramonte was a two-time USCAA Pitcher of the Week and led the Association in wins and strikeouts (136), compiling a 16-1 record in the circle and was second-best in the Association with a 1.12 ERA. Chiaramonte was also productive at the plate leading the team in hits (39) and RBI (35).

Marino finished as the Lady Bears leading hitter with a .472 average, lifting her average nearly 80 points over the last two weeks. She was also led the USCAA in walks (22) and was ranked in the top 10 in runs (36), hits (34) and stolen bases (10).

Kakavas received USCAA Player of the Week honors and was one of the team's most clutch hitters, delivering a walk-off homer against Briarcliffe and was ranked third in the Association in RBI (31). She led the USCAA in fielding percentage, going errorless in 177 chances. Kakavas led the team in slugging (.693) and shared the team lead in stolen bases (10) with Marino, both among the top 10 in the Association.

Scheer, an All-American Selection her freshman year and Honorable Mention last season, had her name sprinkled among the USCAA leaders. She was ranked fifth in the USCAA in wins (9) and ninth in strikeouts (73). At the plate, Scheer finished second, behind Marino, in walks (22) and was ranked tenth in RBI (24).

Marinello has compiled another solid year in her senior season, finishing above .300 for the second straight year. Her .500 on-base percentage landed her among the top 25 in the Association. Marinello is the all-time Lady Bears leader in walks (76) and hit by pitches (18).

Girardi made 17 appearances compiling a .125 batting average. She posted a banner year last season batting .367 with 13 RBI and eight runs.

The Lady Bears begin their quest to capture St. Joseph's first National Championship tomorrow at 12:00 pm facing Penn State Mont Alto. Fans can catch all the action live at www.sjcbears.com or www.theuscaa.com.