HOLTMAN WINS GNAC'S NCAA SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Wildcat Softball Alum Now Eligible for National Sportsmanship Award

SPOKANE (July 22) -- Central Washington University softball player Mallory Holtman has been awarded the NCAA Sportsmanship Award from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference for the 2007-08 year, as was announced Tuesday by the conference office.

Holtman, who completed her eligibility this spring and is a 2008 graduate of CWU, was the female recipient of the award from the GNAC. The men's recipient from the conference was skier Einar Often of the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

The GNAC's NCAA Sportsmanship Award is the latest in a long line of awards that Holtman has received over the past three months. On Sunday, she and teammate Liz Wallace (Florence, Mont./Florence-Carlton HS) received a prestigious ESPY Award for the "Best Moment" in sports for the past year. The duo helped carry Western Oregon softball player Sara Tucholsky around the bases to complete a home run trot after the Wolves' senior was injured during the home run in a game played Apr. 26 on the Central Washington University campus.

Holtman's awards for sportsmanship have also included accolades at the AT&T National Sportsmanship Awards in St. Louis and countless appearances at prestigious regional and national events. For her on-field playing accomplishments, she was the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2008 after finishing with a .397 batting average, 10 home runs, and 31 RBI. She became the first player in the history of the GNAC to earn first-team all-conference honors all four seasons of her career and was also a three-time Academic All-Conference Team member.

Holtman is now a finalist for the 2008 NCAA Division II National Sportsmanship award, which honors one male and one female athlete from each of the three NCAA divisions who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. Those awards will be announced in late August.

To read the complete release from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, please click here.