May 16, 2001

Chicago, Ill. - The UIC softball team continued to garner more postseason honors on Wednesday as they had four players named to the Louisville Slugger 2001 All-Great Lakes Region Team this afternoon.

Senior catcher Stefanie Christoferson, junior outfielder Edel Leyden and freshman designated player Amanda Rivera all earned spots on the all-region first team while rookie utility player Jacquelyne Vaca was named to the all-region second team.

Christoferson, who broke the NCAA record for career games played this season, was the 2001 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Player of the Year and set new personal bests with a .383 batting average, 14 home runs, 24 doubles and 55 RBI. This is the second time she has earned a spot on the all-region team, as she was a 2000 second-team member.

Leyden, an All-MCC First Team member, played error-free centerfield for the Flames this year while totaling a .380 batting average with five homers and 40 RBI. This is also Leyden's second all-region award. She was named to the second team in 1999 after her 100-hit freshman season.

Rivera, who became the first Flames' freshman to garner first-team all-region recognition, set the UIC rookie record for home runs with 13 this season and currently owns a .354 batting average and 49 RBI.

Vaca, a member of the All-MCC Newcomer Team, batted .322 in 2001, playing catcher, first base and third base for the Flames. She also hit six home runs and drove in 45 this year.

Each all-region team consists of 12 players - three outfielders, two pitchers, one for each infield position and one player for both designated hitter and a utility player. The Great Lakes Region consists of players from the Big 10, Midwestern Collegiate, Mid-American and Mid-Continent Conferences.

For the Flames, the three first-team representatives is the most they have ever placed on a single all-region team and was the most members of a single university on the 2001 team. Penn State and Michigan both had two players each on the first team while Central Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Western Illinois each had one.

Christoferson, Leyden, Rivera and Vaca are now all eligible for All-American consideration with the announcement of that squad coming on May 21.

The Flames will be back in action tomorrow (May 17) as they open play at the NCAA Region IV Championships by taking on top-seeded Alabama at 12:00 p.m. in Tuscaloosa, Ala.