Teams: Softball: Press Releases

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

TUFTS SOFTBALL TRIO LEADS OFF POST-SEASON HONORS ON NFCA ALL-REGION TEAMS

NFCA All-Region Teams

Cara Hovhanessian

Christy Tinker

MEDFORD -- The first all-star teams of the 2008 college softball season were announced on Monday and three Tufts Jumbos were honored. Sophomore 1B Christy Tinker (Woodbridge, CT), junior DP Cara Hovhanessian (Farmington, CT) and senior catcher Megan Cusick (Albany, NY) are all on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-New England teams.

Tinker was selected to the First Team, Hovhanessian is on the Second Team and Cusick earned Third Team recognition. All three were named as At-large members of their respective teams. The All-Region selection is the third of Cusick's career. She was also on the First Team in 2006 and was a Third Teamer last season. Tinker and Hovhanessian earned their first regional awards.

Megan Cusick

On a talented offensive team, Tinker and Hovhanessian were the leaders of the Jumbos this spring. Entering NCAA Tournament play, Tinker is hitting .422 with a team-high eight home runs and 32 RBI. She has excellent on-base (.474) and slugging (.716) percentages. She has handled 230 of 232 total chances at first base for a .991 fielding percentage. After an off-year due to illness, Hovhanessian hit her way back into the middle of the Tufts line-up this season. She's at .424 with four round-trippers and 26 RBI. Cusick, the top catcher in the New England Small College Athletic Conference since her first year, is having her best offensive season at .363 with two home runs and 24 RBI.

Coach Cheryl Milligan's Jumbos are the second seed at the NCAA Tournament regional hosted this weekend by Rhode Island College. They begin play on Thursday (May 9) against Rivier College. Tufts, 28-9 overall, won the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) East Division title and then won the conference tournament for the second straight year.

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