FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 9, 2006

Katie Benevides & Kristyn Alexander Earn
All-New England Softball Honors

Providence, RI— Rhode Island College senior left fielder Katie Benevides (North Dighton, MA) and junior catcher/designated player Kristyn Alexander (East Wareham, MA) were named to the All-New England All-Star Team by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).

Benevides was named Second Team All-New England. She was also was named First Team All-Little East Conference. She has played in 42 games, starting all of them. She is batting .387 (53-for-137) with 35 runs, five doubles, one triple, 14 RBI and five stolen bases. She is second on the team in both runs and hits.

Alexander was named Third Team All-New England At-Large. Alexander was named Second Team All-Little East Conference for the second consecutive season. Alexander has played in 42 games, starting all of them. She is batting .344 (43-for-125) with 14 runs, ten doubles and a team-high 27 RBI. She was named the LEC’s Rookie of the Year and garnered First Team All-Conference honors as a freshman in 2004.

They join teammates junior pitcher Nicole Riley (North Providence, RI) and sophomore first baseman Christie Lotti (Waterford, CT) who were named First Team All-New England.

Head Coach Maria Morin has led the team to a remarkable season that is still going strong. The Anchorwomen are currently 33-8-1 overall and finished the regular season with an 11-2-1 (First Place) mark in the Little East Conference. RIC was the Little East Conference Softball Regular Season Champion for the second consecutive year. The Anchorwomen defeated seventh-seeded UMass Dartmouth, 7-1, in opening round action of the LEC Tournament on May 4, then downed fourth-seeded Western Connecticut, 6-4, and seventh-seeded Southern Maine, 5-2, on May 5, before facing the Huskies once again in the Championship Game.

The team captured the 2006 Little East Conference Softball Tournament Championship for the first time in school history with a 2-1 victory over fifth-seeded Southern Maine on Saturday, May 6. The Anchorwomen advance to the NCAA Div. III Softball Regional Tournament, hosted by Babson, on Thursday-Sunday, May 11-14. The seven-team bracket features top-seeded Williams, second-seeded RIC, third-seeded Western New England, fourth-seeded Babson, fifth-seeded Endicott, sixth-seeded Bridgewater State and seventh-seeded Saint Joseph’s of Long Island. The double elimination tournament will feature four games on Thursday, four games on Friday, three on Saturday and three on Sunday. The Anchorwomen will open play at 2 p.m. on Thursday against seventh-seeded Saint Joseph’s of Long Island.

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