BLOOMINGTON, Ill. ­ Senior outfielder Sara Powers has been named "Most Valuable Player" for the most successful Illinois Wesleyan University softball team in school history.

Powers (Manhattan, Lincoln-Way HS) was a first team all-Great Lakes Region selection and first team all-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin choice this spring as she led the Titans with a .357 batting average.

She holds the school records for doubles in a season (15) and career (41), and home runs in a season (9) and career (14). In her career Powers had 165 hits and 99 runs batted in, both of which place her fourth all-time at the school, and her 42 runs batted in is the third most in an IWU season.

Powers was eighth in the league in batting average, tied for the CCIW lead in doubles and tied for third in RBI.

The Titans, who were 39-14 and ranked No. 16 in the final 2001 Division III poll, won the CCIW tournament and advanced to the final game of the NCAA Division III regional tournament, the deepest an IWU team has ever gone in national play. IWU set a new school mark for wins in a season and won 30 or more games for the fifth time in 11 years.

Freshman pitcher Kelly Murray (Bloomington, Central Catholic HS) was chosen as the team's "Most Improved Player" and senior third baseman Becky Stenning (Monee, Crete-Monee HS) earned the annual "Gwen Meyer Award."

Murray had an 8-4 record with one save and a 1.86 earned run average.

Stenning batted .238 with four doubles and 22 runs batted in.

The "Gwen Meyer Award" is given to the player who gives 100 percent, shows support of the team and is self-motivated. The award was established in 1986 to honor the memory of Meyer, IWU's most valuable softball player in 1984, who died of cancer.

Freshman Nicole Williams (Park Forest, Crete-Monee HS) tied an IWU single-season record with 30 stolen bases.

Sophomore shortstop Stephanie Hieser (Minier, Stanford Olympia HS) and Powers each had 56 hits, which is tied for fourth best in an IWU single season. Hieser, who was first team all-CCIW and second team all-region, was second on the team with a .348 batting mark.

In addition to Murray, the Titans received stellar pitching seasons from sophomores Ellen Furr (Newark HS) and A.J. Reeley (Danville HS). Furr was 14-7 with a 1.42 ERA and two saves while Reeley, who was first team all-CCIW and second team all-region, was 17-3 with a 1.47 ERA. The 17 wins is one short of the IWU season record of 18 set by Jenny Hayes in 1999.

After two seasons, Reeley is 28-7 and Furr is 22-13, both within reach of the school career record for pitching victories, which was established by Hayes from 1996-99 when she was 34-14.

Another key to IWU's success was the play of junior second baseman Mandi Cioni (Granville, Putnam County HS), who improved from .271 in 2000 to a .327 average this year. She led the team with 32 runs scored and 10 doubles and was second with 32 runs batted in and 53 hits.

Head coach Mandy Neal awarded letters to 16 players. They are, with hometowns and high schools:

SENIORS - Tonya Poindexter (Tuscola HS); Sara Powers (Manhattan, Lincoln-Way HS); Becky Stenning (Monee, Crete-Monee HS)

JUNIORS - Mandi Cioni (Granville, Putnam County HS); Kate Molina (Skokie, Loyola Academy); Kristen Prather (St. Joseph, St. Joseph-Ogden HS).

SOPHOMORES - Ellen Furr (Newark HS); Stephanie Hieser (Minier, Stanford Olympia HS); Megan Pietrucha (Orland Hills, Andrew HS); A.J. Reeley (Danville HS); Stephanie Stephen (Martinsville, Casey-Westfield HS).

FRESHMEN - Lisa Krapf (Monee, Peotone HS); Kathy Mason (Galesburg HS); Kelly Murray (Bloomington, Central Catholic HS); Jamie Palmer (Knoxville HS); Nicole Williams (Park Forest, Crete-Monee HS).