April 10, 2006

Cullowhee, N.C. - The Southern Conference today announced its Athletes of the Month for March and six of the 10 student-athletes honored were from Western Carolina. Baseball's Blake Murphy, men's golfer Matt Cook, softball's Allyson McCubbins and Mendy McKenzie, and outdoor track & field student-athletes Milton Bolton and Raquel Ramseur each earned the conference's monthly honor for their respective sport. WCU took six of the nine monthly honors for which it was eligible, with the tenth being men's tennis.

Two are repeat selections as Cook earned the men's golfer of the month honor in September and McKenzie was also February's softball pitcher of the month, sweeping both honors thus far this season. In addition to the six monthly award winners for March, Western now has 13 SoCon student-athletes of the month this year

Murphy (Waynesville, N.C.) hit .415 with eight doubles, two triples and six home runs for a slugging percentage of .877 over the course of the month of March. The sophomore, who obtained a .533 on-base percentage in the month, tallied 32 RBIs with 23 runs scored and even added seven stolen bases on eight attempts. He currently ranks second in RBI (42), third in slugging percentage (.706), on-base percentage (.482), and doubles (tied with 12). He has hit seven home runs to rank sixth and he stands ninth in batting average at .367.

Cook (Murphy, N.C.), the SoCon leader in scoring average, acquired three top five finishes in three events in March. In the nine rounds, Cook had 650 strokes for an average of 72.22. The sophomore finished second at the Furman Intercollegiate to finish as the top league finisher in a field consisting of six conference teams. He has also been a part of Western garnering three-consecutive SoCon Men's Golfer of the Week honors, earning back-to-back selections to end the month and start April.

McCubbins (Albany, Ga.) led the Catamounts with 10 home runs and an .861 slugging percentage in March. The freshman hit .405, driving in 26 runs and drawing a team-high 24 walks in the month. McCubbins garnered an on-base percentage of .548 and twice recorded three-hit single-game performances. She currently leads the league in walks (31) and ranks among the leaders in runs scored (2nd, 39); total bases (t-2nd, 89); slugging percentage (3rd, .659); on-base percentage (3rd, .488); home runs (4th, 10); doubles (t-6th, 8); and hits (7th, 45).

McKenzie (Clemmons, N.C.) won her second-consecutive league Pitcher of the Month honor in March after going 9-3 with a team-best ERA of 2.32. The freshman struck out more batters (80) on the Month than the number of innings she pitched (78.1). McKenzie tallied a career-high and school record 11 strikeouts against Big East member, Pittsburgh. In addition to having swept the softball pitcher's monthly honor, McKenzie is also a three-time SoCon Pitcher of the Week. She currently leads the SoCon in wins (14) and is second in total strikeouts with 137, but holds a better strikeout-per-game average, fanning 7.57 batters per contest.

Bolton (East Point, Ga.) won the 400-meter dash at the Charlotte 49er Classic with an NCAA regional qualifying and conference-leading time of 47.23. Bolton was also a member of Western Carolina's second place 4x100 meter relay team (41.50) and the third place 4x400-meter relay (3:12.05), both SoCon leading performances. Bolton also helped the men's 4x400-meter relay team win the event and finish third in the 4x100-meter relay at the Clemson Relays. He currently leads the SoCon's 400-meter performance chart and ranks fifth in the 200-meter list, while also running a leg on both the SoCon-leading 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay teams.

Ramseur (Charlotte, N.C.) placed second in the 400 meters with a time of 54.69 at the Charlotte 49er Classic. The qualifying time in the event was 55.43. Ramseur, who is currently ranked first in the league in the 400 meters, also was a member of the 4x400 relay team at the event that with a time of 3:46.90 placed second. Ramseur was also a SoCon women's track Athlete of the Week during the month, her first selection of the outdoor season.

Western Carolina's 2005-06 Southern Conference Athletes of the Month:
Matt Cook - Men's Golfer of the Month for September
Ashley Hovda - Women's Golfer of the Month for September
Ashley Hovda - Women's Golfer of the Month for October
Brandy Andersen - Women's Golfer of the Month for November
Alesha Row- Women's Soccer Athlete of the Month for November
Zeb Johnson - Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Month for February
Mendy McKenzie - Softball Pitcher of the Month for February
Milton Bolton - Men's Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Month for March
Matt Cook - Men's Golfer of the Month for March
Allyson McCubbins - Softball Player of the Month for March
Mendy McKenzie - Softball Player of the Month for March
Blake Murphy - Baseball Player of the Month for March
Raquel Ramseur - Women's Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Month for March