University of North Carolina Athletics
Kendra Lynch Named Collegiate Player of the Year Finalist
April 13, 2017 | Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY – North Carolina senior Kendra Lynch was selected as a Finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year on Wednesday, as announced by USA Softball, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States. Now in its 16th year, it is the most prestigious individual honor in NCAA Division I softball.
“We are very excited for Kendra to be a finalist for Collegiate Player of the Year,” said head coach Donna J. Papa. “She is in the company of some outstanding softball players in the ACC as well as around the country. Kendra has made her mark on our program throughout her career and is having an outstanding senior season. She has been disciplined and dedicated to improving on a daily basis, putting in extra work on her own, in the summers as well as during the year. She is committed to being the best and has helped lead a very young team at the plate and in the circle. Kendra is very deserving of being in consideration of this prestigious award.”
A starting pitcher who hits for power, Lynch is enjoying the best offensive season of her career. The Tar Heel slugger leads the nation in total bases (113), ranks second in the country in home runs (16) and third in RBIs (53). Batting .403 on the year, she ranks 18th with an .848 slugging percentage and is 23rd in hits. The rightie is in the top two in the ACC in five offensive categories and in the top 10 in five pitching statistics.
An All-ACC First Team selection in 2016, Lynch has been named ACC Player of the Week twice this year after earning three ACC Pitcher of the Week awards as a junior. The Most Valuable Player of the 2017 Carolina Classic, Lynch is also a strong student and dedicated leader. A two-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection, she was named to the 2016 All-ACC Academic Team and earned a 2016-17 UNC Athletic Director's Scholar-Athlete Award. The lone returning senior on the roster, she has guided a team featuring 11 freshmen to a 32-11 record so far this season, and received the prestigious Leader of Distinction title from the Carolina Leadership Academy.
Lynch is one of 34 finalists for 2017 Collegiate Player of the Year, which are comprised of 23 seniors, eight juniors, two sophomores and one freshman. The student-athletes selected represent 23 NCAA Division I universities among 11 athletic conferences. Arizona leads all teams with five finalists, followed by ACC member Florida State with four.
Lynch is one of six ACC student-athletes chosen as finalists this season, joining Seminoles Jessica Burroughs, Morgan Klaevemann, Alex Powers and Jessica Warren, and Syracuse pitcher Sydney O'Hara. The Indianapolis, Indiana, native is the third Tar Heel to be selected as a finalist for Collegiate Player of the Year, following two-time finalist Danielle Spaulding (2009, 2010) and shortstop Kristen Brown (2015).
The list of finalists will be narrowed down to a top 10 on May 10. The top three will be announced on May 24, with the 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award revealed on May 30 prior to the start of the NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
| 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Finalists | |||
| Maggie Balint | Oregon | Pitcher | Freshman |
| Kelly Barnhill | Florida | Pitcher | Sophomore |
| Megan Betsa | Michigan | Pitcher | Senior |
| Kacie Burnett | Idaho State | Outfield | Senior |
| Jessica Burroughs | Florida State | Pitcher | Senior |
| Lindsey Cargill | Baylor | Infield | Senior |
| Kelly Christner | Michigan | Outfield | Senior |
| Lindsay Crowdus | Memphis | Outfield | Senior |
| Cortni Emanuel | Georgia | Outfield | Junior |
| Hannah Flippen | Utah | Infield | Senior |
| Megan Good | James Madison | Pitcher | Junior |
| Delanie Gourley | Florida | Pitcher | Senior |
| Meghan Gregg | Tennessee | Infield | Junior |
| Sara Groenewegen | Minnesota | Pitcher | Senior |
| Sierra Hyland | Cal Poly | Pitcher | Senior |
| Sahvanna Jaquish | LSU | Catcher | Senior |
| Morgan Klaevemann | Florida State | Outfield | Junior |
| Bailey Landry | LSU | Outfield | Senior |
| Kendra Lynch | North Carolina | Pitcher/DP | Senior |
| Katiyana Mauga | Arizona | Infield | Senior |
| Taylor McQuillin | Arizona | Pitcher | Sophomore |
| Mo Mercado | Arizona | Infield | Senior |
| Chloe Miller | Wisconsin | Catcher | Senior |
| Sydney O'Hara | Syracuse | Pitcher | Senior |
| Alexis Osorio | Alabama | Pitcher | Junior |
| Danielle O'Toole | Arizona | Pitcher | Senior |
| Paige Parker | Oklahoma | Pitcher | Junior |
| Mandie Perez | Arizona | Outfield | Senior |
| Alex Powers | Florida State | Infield | Senior |
| DJ Sanders | Louisiana | Infield | Junior |
| Delaney Spaulding | UCLA | Infield | Senior |
| Nikki Udria | Oregon | Infield | Senior |
| Jessica Warren | Florida State | Infield | Junior |
| Morgan Zerkle | Marshall | Infield | Senior |
