Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Softball Announces Trio of Team Award Winners
May 30, 2008 | Softball
PRINCETON ? Princeton head softball coach Trina Salcido has announced Beth Dalmut, Kathryn Welch and Jamie Lettire as the 2008 winners of the program's two annual honors, the Cindy Cohen Award and the Patton-Poole Award.
"These are three well-deserving winners of two awards that carry great meaning to this program," Salcido said. "We could not have accomplished what we did this year, winning the Ivy League title, without the leadership and excellent play of Beth, Kathryn and Jamie."
Dalmut was chosen as the honoree for the Cohen Award, which is “awarded to the senior who through sportsmanship and consistent effort has been an inspiration to her teammates.” The award was established by 1935 alumnus Henry H. Patton in honor of longtime former Princeton softball coach Cindy Cohen and was first given in 1983.
Dalmut, who had played infield and outfield positions for her first three seasons, assumed the starting catcher's role just before the season when the job opened unexpectedly. A novelty as a left-handed catcher, Dalmut performed the duty exceptionally well, earning Ivy League honorable mention honors with a .993 fielding percentage in 286 chances. Dalmut hit .271 on the season.
Lettire and Welch were co-recipients of the Patton-Poole Award, which is “awarded annually to the player who in play, sportsmanship and influence has been most valuable to the team.” It was established by Patton '35 and Alan C. Poole '37 and was first awarded in 1990.
Welch, a co-captain with Dalmut this season, and Lettire were two of three extraordinary power hitters that led the Tigers to their 17th Ivy League title and eighth NCAA tournament appearance in 2008. Lettire tied a single-season program record with 14 home runs with Welch knocking 13 to help the team set a team standard with 55 homers. With Welch hitting .356 and Lettire .340 on the season, both players were first-team All-Ivy honorees and NFCA first-team All-Northeast Region winners. Lettire, who also pitched to an 8-4 overall and 6-0 Ivy League record, was Princeton's first NFCA All-America since 1995, earning third-team honors.