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RIPON, Wis. - Carroll, Ripon and St. Norbert earned honors as part of the Midwest Conference All-North Division team for the 2012 season. MWC Champion St. Norbert had shortstop Steph Brunette named as the North Division Player of the Year while MWC runner-up Carroll coach Amy Gradecki was tabbed as the North Division Coach of the Year. Taylor Steinhilber (Carroll) and Stephanie Rieuwpassa (Ripon) shared North Division Pitch of the Year honors. 

Brunette was one of the top offensive performers in the league this season, hitting a conference-best .444 with a .478 on base percentage, which also led the league. Brunette also clubbed ten doubles and three triples while collecting 56 hits and stealing nine bases. Brunette won the North Division Player of the Year award for the second straight year helping the Green Knights to a MWC Championship.

Rieuwpassa and Steinhilber became the first pair of pitchers to share the North Division Pitcher of the Year award after both led their respective teams in the circle during the regular season. Rieuwpassa was tops in the league in several categories which include ERA (1.45), opposing batting average (.187) and wins (11) while throwing 121 innings and compiling a 0.94 WHIP. Steinhilber was just as good in leading the Pioneers to a MWC Championship game appearance tossing 118.1 innings and having a 1.83 ERA. She matched Rieuwpassa with 11 wins and went the distance in ten games.

Gradecki is the first Carroll coach to win North Division Coach of the Year since the 2001 season after guiding the Pioneers within one game of a MWC Championship. Carroll won a league-best 22 games on the season with an offense that led the MWC in most categories and a pitching staff that was top-3 in all the major categories.

The Lady Blues nearly swept the South Division awards with Erin Rutledge winning South Division Pitcher of the Year and Mark Brayfield being named South Division Coach of the Year but didn’t complete the sweep as Monmouth catcher Lauren Bergstresser captured the South Division Player of the Year.

Bergstresser hit .306 this season for the Fighting Scots who earned a spot in the MWC Tournament in the final week of the season. She scored a team-high 31 runs and hit two home runs and drove in 15 runs while only striking out seven times in 130 plate appearances. The award is the second in as many years for Bergstresser.

Rutledge was the first Lady Blue to capture the South Division Pitcher of the Year award since the 2005 season when Lindsay Stauder shared the award. She picked up a team-best six wins on the season and posted a 2.93 ERA in 21 appearances that included ten starts. In 90.2 innings pitched this year she racked up 48 strikeouts and only 22 walks.

Brayfield earned his first South Division Coach of the Year award after leading the Lady Blues to a third place finish in the South Division with a 5-3 conference mark. During the regular season Brayfield was the skipper of a team that hit .282 and led the conference with 11 triples.
 

2012 North Division Award Winners

2012 All-Midwest Conference North Division Team

2012 South Division Award Winners

2012 All-Midwest Conference South Division Team