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Somerset, NJ -- After leading the conference in a slew of offensive categories, Saint Francis U senior outfielder Taylor Parsons (Bellefonte, PA/Bald Eagle) was selected as the NEC Softball Player of the Year by the leagues nine head coaches. Robert Morris senior Nicole Sleith (Smithton, PA/Yough) earned her third career NEC Pitcher of the Year accolade. LIU Brooklyn senior infielder Madison Green (Tulare, CA/San Joaquin Memorial) and freshman catcher Victoria Zamora (Orange, CA/El Modena) both claimed major honors for the Blackbirds with Green earning the NEC Golden Glove Award and Zamora tabbed the NEC Rookie of the Year.  Bryant outfielder Taylor Burger (Killingworth, CT/Haddam Killingworth) earned the NEC Most Improved Player award. After guiding Robert Morris to its fourth NEC regular season title in five seasons, the Colonial coaching staff was voted the NEC Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
Parsons was a nightmare for opposing pitchers as she posted a .353 average for the Red Flash while leading the league in RBI (41), runs scored (41), doubles (20),  triples (6) and total bases (107). Parsons left her mark in the Red Flash recordbook as she broke the school’s career hit record with 196 to her name. The senior led the Red Flash to one of the program’s best seasons in recent memory as the team racked up 31 wins, the second-most in school history.  Parsons, an All-NEC second teamer a year ago, is Saint Francis U’s first-ever NEC Player of the Year.
 
Sleith is set to wrap up her dominate stellar career in Moon Township as the second pitcher in NEC history to take home Pitcher of the Year honors three times, joining LIU Brooklyn’s Blaire Porter (2008-10). Sleith obliterated the Colonial recordbook and racked up strikeouts this season, breaking RMU’s single-season and career strikeout records with a league leading 281 Ks and 917 for her career heading into postseason play.  The five-time NEC Pitcher of the Week ranks second in the NEC with 21 wins and a 1.65 ERA.  This marks the sixth time Robert Morris has had a player win the NEC Pitcher of the Year award.
 
Green earned NEC Defensive Player of the Year for her stalwart defense at second base for the Blackbirds. The senior posted a .992 fielding percentage and committed just two errors in 238 chances.
 
Zamora earned unanimous NEC Rookie of the Year honors after exploding onto the scene this season. The freshman backstop  leads the league with a .452 on-base percentage and has posted the highest batting average among league freshmen with a .309 clip.  She has swatted five homers and driven in 21 runs, while stealing 10 bases in 11 attempts.  Zamora, who was also picked to the All-NEC second team, is the fourth LIU Brooklyn player to earn NEC Rookie of the Year honors.
 
Burger earned Most Improved Player honors after terrorizing opponents in her sophomore campaign. After collecting 13 hits as a rookie, Burger exploded for 35 hits, including 11 home runs (second in the NEC) and 30 RBI. The sophomore posted a league leading .790 slugging percentage, including a blistering 1.000 mark in NEC play.  She was also chosen to the All-NEC first team.
 
Coleman and his coaching staff comprised of Keri Meyer, Erica List, and Wendy Beckemeyer earned NEC Coaching Staff of the Year honors after guiding the Colonials to the program’s fourth NEC regular season title in the last five years and eighth overall. Robert Morris went 13-3 in NEC play, and has posted an overall mark of 25-21. After failing to reach the postseason for the first time since 2007 a year ago, the Colonials earned the top seed and will host this week’s NEC Tournament.  This is the fifth time Coleman has been honored, and third as part of the NEC Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
RMU outfielder Ashley  Gerhart (Imperial, PA/West Allegheny) joined Sleith on the All-NEC first team after a standout regular season for the Colonials. The junior ranks second in the NEC with a .446 on-base percentage and .374 batting average, including a league-best .457 average in league play. Gerhart is a former NEC Rookie of the Year who was also tabbed to the All-NEC first team back as a freshman back in 2013.
 
Last season’s NEC Pitcher of the Year Lauren Messina (Marlton, NJ/Camden Catholic) was a force to be reckoned with for the Blue Devils in her senior campaign and earned her third career first team All-NEC spot. The senior registered 263 K’s on the season, and led the NEC with 15 shutouts and by holding batters to a minuscule .183 batting average. The Marlton, NJ product posted a league leading 1.13 ERA while also racking up an NEC-high 24 wins.  Messina earned NEC Pitcher of the Week six times for her efforts.
 
FDU catcher Madelaine Wilen (Bakersfield, CA/Ridgeview High School) was a terror behind and at the plate for the Knights. The junior is second on the circuit with a .721 slugging percentage and ranks third overall with a .369 batting average. Wilen set the Knights’ single season home run record with nine and broke the school’s career record with 18 to her name entering the NEC Championship. Sophomore second baseman Alex Portesi (Chino, CA/Don Antonio Lugo) joined Wilen as members of the first team.  She ranks second on the Knights in batting average (.327) and hits (36).
 
LIU Brooklyn seniors Nicole Archer (Coral Springs, FL/Coral Springs Charter) and Lauren Morizi (San Diego, CA/New Mexico State) close out their careers with nods on the First Team.  Archer has done it all for the Blackbirds, leading the team in homers (8), RBI (29), slugging percentage (.525) and was the team’s go-to pitcher down the stretch. Morizi delivered all season for the Blackbirds, especially in the finale against Central Connecticut. Needing a win to qualify for the postseason, Morizi belted her first two home runs of the season and drove in four runs as the Blackbirds posted a 5-4 win.  The shortstop, who was previously named to the All-NEC second team as a sophomore, is hitting .284 on the year. She leads the NEC with 23 walks and ranks second with 15 doubles.
 
After posting one of the best seasons in school history, Saint Francis U landed a trio on the All-NEC first team, including Parsons, the NEC Player of the Year. After earning NEC Rookie of the Year honors last season, sophomore first baseman Alexis Bower (Logan Station, PA/Williamsport Area) followed with an impressive sophomore campaign. Bower posted an impressive .318 average and led the Red Flash in home runs (six) and on base percentage (.421). Freshman third baseman Madison Cabell (Ivor, VA/Southhampton) was the lone rookie to earn first team honors. Cabell drove in 38 runs for the Red Flash to rank second in the NEC while playing lockdown defense at the hot corner for the Red Flash.
 
Wagner’s Beth Lewis (Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge) claimed a spot on the first team at designated hitter. The senior was second on the team with a .319 batting average.
 
Bryant dual threats Elle Madsen (Wheat Ridge, CO/Wheat Ridge) and Hayley Bottino (Canyon Country, CA/Canyon) earned spots on the second team along with second baseman Liana Ogata (Tustin, CA/Foothill). Madsen, the 2014 NEC Player of the Year and three time NEC all-star, was honored for her work on the mound, where she won 11 games and posted a 3.11 ERA for the Bulldogs.  She also leads the league with 12 home runs and ranked first on the Bulldogs with 36 RBI. Bottino, who also pitches, was the pick at the utility spot.  She ranked in the Bryant top-three in homers (six), doubles (11) and RBI (27). Ogata hit .303, paced Bryant with 11 steals and tied for the team lead with 43 hits.
 
Fairleigh Dickinson landed a pair of Knights on the second team in senior hurler Megan Reiner (Los Angeles, CA/John Marshall) and senior third baseman Angelique Nieves (Union City, NJ/High Tech High School). Reiner helped lead the Knights back to the postseason, and saved her best for NEC play, posting a 7-2 record with a 1.94 ERA. On the year, she finished 11-6 with a 2.96 ERA. Nieves provided steady play at the hot corner while batting .278.  Both were named to the All-NEC second team last season as well.
 
Robert Morris landed four All-NEC second teamers in sophomore first baseman Jordan Gurganus (Chesapeake, VA/Hickory), junior designated hitter Haileigh Stocks (Jamison, PA/Central Bucks South), senior outfielder Tess Apke (Mt. Lebanon, PA/Mt. Lebanon) and junior outfielder Kristen Gabelt (Ligonier, PA/Ligonier Valley). All four had previously landed a spot on an All-Conference team during their careers. Gurganus leads the NEC with a .383 average and 59 hits while Apke is hitting .333 and paces the Colonials with 33 RBI, a figure that ranks her fourth in the NEC. Gabelt has provided the power for the Colonials, leading the team with nine home runs and blistering .651 slugging percentage, both of which are top-three in the league. Stocks earned her first All-NEC nod, after hitting .277 with 22 runs scored during the regular season.
 
Following a pair of first team accolades, CCSU senior outfielder Kat Malcolm (Branford, CT/Mercy) earned her third All-NEC honor, this time a second team outfield spot. She leads the Blue Devils in almost every offensive category, including runs (30), hits (43), doubles (seven), homers (six), RBI (26), batting average (.333), on-base percentage (.399) and slugging percentage (.543).
 
Wagner senior Kelsey Parker (Lynnwood, WA/Lynnwood) earned a spot on the second team at shortstop for the second straight year. The senior led the Seahawks in batting average (.351), hits (34), total bases (50), slugging percentage (.515) and on-base percentage (.447).
 
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 34th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30).  Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Google+, all @NECsports.