SOFTBALL ACT OF SPORTSMANSHIP NOMINATED FOR ESPY AWARD
Heroics of Holtman, Wallace Make Wildcats Nominees for "Best Moment" ESPY

BRISTOL, Conn. -- (July 2) The Central Washington softball team, specifically student-athletes Mallory Holtman (White Salmon/Columbia HS) and Liz Wallace (Florence, Mont./Florence-Carlton HS), have been nominated for a ESPY award, as was announced Tuesday by ESPN.

The 2008 ESPY Awards, presented by HUMMER and UnderArmour, will be aired on Sunday, July 20, at 6 p.m. PDT on ESPN. The awards ceremony, now in its 16th year, celebrates the best in the year in sports and will be hosted by Justin Timberlake.

On Apr. 26, Holtman and Wallace carried Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky around the bases to complete her home run trot after Tucholsky, who had never homered previously in her college career, went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rounding first base. Holtman and Wallace then picked up Tucholsky and carried her around the bases so that she could be credited with her three-run home run, kneeling down to help their injured opponent touch each of the bases along the way.

The story of Holtman and Wallace's heroics and act of sportsmanship has garnered a wealth of national media attention in the two months since the event occurred. Included among the appearances the duo and Tucholsky have made are visits to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show", the Women's College World Series, the AT&T National Sportsmanship Awards, and television appearances on "SportsCenter", CBS' "The Early Show", and ESPN2's "First Take". The three have also thrown out first pitches at Safeco Field with the Seattle Mariners and will be traveling to New York for the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium on July 15.

The other two candidates for the "Best Moment" ESPY are Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester, who less than a year after surviving cancer, threw a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals, and Danica Patrick, who won her first career IndyCar race at the IndyCar Japan 300.

Voting for the ESPYs can now be done online by visiting www.espys.tv or www.espn.mobi.