Three Great Danes Named to All-America East First Team; Mason Honored for Fourth Time - UAlbany Sports 2011

Cambridge, Mass. - University at Albany's Gina Mason and Andrianna Walraven, a pair of seniors, and freshman Brittany MacFawn, were all named to the All-America East Conference Softball first team in softball, as announced by the league on Wednesday afternoon. It is the fourth time Mason has been honored by the conference, including her second consecutive appearance on the first team.

Mason, a first baseman, leads the team as a senior with a .419 batting average. She has recorded a team-high 52 hits, including 10 doubles and five home runs, and has scored 26 runs while driving in 27 more. A native of Sacramento, Calif., Mason has also posted a .669 slugging percentage and is 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts. She was an all-conference second-team member as a sophomore and was named to the all-rookie team as a freshman.

Walraven, who has started all 45 games at shortstop for the Great Danes, earned her first all-conference first -team honor after posting a .318 batting average as a senior. The native of Thompson Ridge, N.Y., who was an all-rookie team member as a freshman, is first on the team with 31 runs scored, second with 41 hits and second with 21 stolen bases. She has recorded 19 RBI, along with five doubles, three triples and three home runs.

MacFawn, who received the league's pitcher of the week award three times as a freshman, was a first-team honoree and earned a spot on the all-rookie squad. She has a staff-low 2.31 ERA and leads the Great Dane pitchers with 125 strikeouts in 133.1 innings of work. MacFawn, who hails from Orlando, Fla., has posted a 13-6 record, while making 30 appearances, including 18 starts. She has thrown a team-high 12 complete games, including six solo shutouts and two combined, and threw one perfect game and one no-hitter. MacFawn has also recorded three saves and holds opponents to a .227 batting average.

UAlbany (25-21, AE 14-4) earned a share of the America East regular-season title, and will face Binghamton in the first round of the league championship tournament starting on Thursday at Boston U.

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2011 America East Softball All-Conference Teams

First Team: Brittany MacFawn, P, UAlbany; Holli Floetker, P, Boston U.; Deannie Plemon, C, Binghamton; Gina Mason, 1B, UAlbany; Lauren Brummell, 2B, UMBC; Andrianna Walraven, SS, UAlbany; Terren Hall, 3B, Maine; Jessica Phillips, OF, Binghamton; April Setterlund, OF, Boston U.; Kali Burnham, OF, Maine; Nicole Springer, DP, Hartford, Katie Ferguson, Util., UMBC.

Second Team: Eric Schuppert, P, Boston U.; Stephanie Weigman, P, UMBC; Amy Ekart, C, Boston U.; Chelsea Kehr, 1B, Boston U.; Lisa Cutrona, 2B, Binghamton; Lauren Maloney, SS, Stony Brook; Megan Volpano, 3B, Boston U.; Meghan Tucker, OF, Binghamton; Jayme Mask, OF, Boston U.; Julia Culotta, OF, UMBC; Meghan McLain, DP, Maine; Jessica Combs, Util., Stony Brook.

All-Rookie: Brittany MacFawn, UAlbany; Jessica Bump, Binghamton; Lisa Cutrona, Binghamton; Brittany Clendenny, Boston U.; Amy Ekart, Boston U.; Holli Floetker, Boston U.; Chelsea Kehr, Boston U.; Megan Volpano, Boston U.; Meghan McLain, Maine; Jessica Warner, UMBC; Jessica Combs, Stony Brook.