Cone, Lange Take Top A-10 Honors
5/13/2021 10:30:00 AM | Softball
Winkler named conference Coach of the Year
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - George Washington softball's Jenna Cone and Sierra Lange received major Atlantic 10 awards on Thursday morning, leading a record haul for the Buff and Blue in the league's postseason honors following their regular season title.
Cone became the first student-athlete in more than two decades to be named A-10 Player of the Year for the second time, while Lange made history as the first Colonial to be named the conference's Pitcher of the Year. In addition, Head Coach Shane Winkler received Coach of the Year honors after guiding his squad to a 23-1 mark in A-10 play this spring.
Lange, Cone, Jessica Linquist and Alessandra Ponce were represented on the All-Conference First Team, and Faith Weber and Alexa Williams landed on the Second Team.
Williams and Maggie Greco claimed spots on the All-Rookie Team, as well.
Rounding out the honors, Cone, Lange, Linquist and Weber were honored on the A-10 All-Academic Team.
The seven student-athletes honored are the most ever for the program, surpassing the previous record of six from 2018 and 2013. Winkler, who has led the program to an 87-40 record (.685) over three seasons at the helm, is the Buff and Blue's first-ever Coach of the Year winner.
The four First Team selections and four All-Academic picks were both program single-season bests, as well.
Â
- Jenna Cone has added a tremendous final chapter to her decorated career in Buff and Blue. recording a .421/.536/.934 slash line during the 41-game regular season to pace a nationally-ranked offense averaging 7.56 runs per game. The Trabuco Canyon, Calif., leads the A-10 in home runs (17), total bases (113) and slugging percentage, and her 45 RBIs and 39 runs scored also rank among the top five in the conference.Â
Cone was at her best in conference play, slashing .500/.600/1.139 with 22 extra-base hits and 34 RBIs across 24 contests. That run included the program's first three-home run game on March 21 at George Mason and a starring weekend at Saint Louis that earned her Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week honors.
It's the fourth career All-Conference nod for Cone, who was previously named the conference's 2019 Player of the Year and 2017 Rookie of the Year. She enters the A-10 Championship with the most RBIs among active student-athletes nationally at 248, and her 73 home runs are also a conference record.
Cone is the first repeat A-10 Player of the Year winner since Kellie Cookus of Rhode Island in 1997 and 1998 and just the third in conference history.
Â
- Sierra Lange returned to sensational form with a career season after missing last spring due to injury. In the circle, the redshirt junior from Plano, Texas, leads the A-10 in wins (17) and strikeouts (170), and her 1.83 ERA in 141 2/3 innings is a personal best.Â
A three-time A-10 Pitcher of the Week, GW's ace went 12-1 during the conference regular season with a 1.41 ERA and 111 Ks in 84 2/3 innings, a total that does not include her first career no-hitter vs. Saint Joseph's in a non-league doubleheader on April 17.
All the while, Lange has continued to get it done at the plate. She's hitting .410 on the season with a team-high 55 hits, including a career high seven homers.
Lange is the first GW pitcher to be named to the All A-10 First Team twice after also making the list in 2019.
- Jessica Linquist has earned All-Conference honors for the second time thanks to her terrific work behind the plate and as a catalyst at the top of the batting order.Â
The graduate student from West Deptford, N.J., hit .405, with an on-base percentage of .569 that ranks 13th in the country, while leading the A-10 in runs (50), doubles (16) and walks (36). In addition, her defense has been impeccable as she's thrown out 10 of the 26 base runners who've tried to steal on her and committed just one passed ball.
- Faith Weber has also been an all-around standout for the Buff and Blue, setting career bests in every major pitching and hitting category this spring.
The graduate student from New Egypt, N.J., owns a 14-1 record as a pitcher with a 1.85 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 102 1/3 innings while hitting .364 with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs. She's won 14 straight decisions since a season-opening setback, including an 11-0 mark in A-10 play.
- Alessandra Ponce has been a reliable run producer in the clean-up spot, driving in a team-high 53 runs to rank second in the A-10 thanks to a .320 batting average and 17 extra-base hits.Â
The senior from Henderson, Nev., set a program record in the regular season finale with eight RBIs in a 14-5 victory at St. Bonaventure. It's her third time earning All-Conference recognition after being named to the Second Team in 2018 and 2019.
- A three-time A-10 Rookie of the Week, Alexa Williams has made a major impact on a veteran squad as a first-year.Â
The El Cajon, Calif., native has started all 41 games, batting .388 with 40 RBIs and 18 extra-base hits. She's been remarkably consistent in the middle of the order with a 14-game hitting streak spanning nearly a month mid-season and 14 multi-hit games.
She's the sixth Colonial to be named to both the All-Conference and All-Rookie list in the same season.
- Maggie Greco has provided a consistent spark as a versatile reserve. In 31 games, the sophomore from Bolingbrook, Ill., has hit .370 with a .500 on-base percentage. The All-Rookie pick leads the squad with four sacrifice bunts, and three of her 10 hits have gone for extra-bases, including an inside-the-park home run last Sunday at St. Bonaventure.
Looking to build on its historic regular season, top-seeded GW kicks off the A-10 Championship on Thursday vs. Dayton in an 11 a.m. start at SJU Softball Field.
Cone became the first student-athlete in more than two decades to be named A-10 Player of the Year for the second time, while Lange made history as the first Colonial to be named the conference's Pitcher of the Year. In addition, Head Coach Shane Winkler received Coach of the Year honors after guiding his squad to a 23-1 mark in A-10 play this spring.
Lange, Cone, Jessica Linquist and Alessandra Ponce were represented on the All-Conference First Team, and Faith Weber and Alexa Williams landed on the Second Team.
Williams and Maggie Greco claimed spots on the All-Rookie Team, as well.
Rounding out the honors, Cone, Lange, Linquist and Weber were honored on the A-10 All-Academic Team.
The seven student-athletes honored are the most ever for the program, surpassing the previous record of six from 2018 and 2013. Winkler, who has led the program to an 87-40 record (.685) over three seasons at the helm, is the Buff and Blue's first-ever Coach of the Year winner.
The four First Team selections and four All-Academic picks were both program single-season bests, as well.
Â
- Jenna Cone has added a tremendous final chapter to her decorated career in Buff and Blue. recording a .421/.536/.934 slash line during the 41-game regular season to pace a nationally-ranked offense averaging 7.56 runs per game. The Trabuco Canyon, Calif., leads the A-10 in home runs (17), total bases (113) and slugging percentage, and her 45 RBIs and 39 runs scored also rank among the top five in the conference.Â
Cone was at her best in conference play, slashing .500/.600/1.139 with 22 extra-base hits and 34 RBIs across 24 contests. That run included the program's first three-home run game on March 21 at George Mason and a starring weekend at Saint Louis that earned her Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week honors.
It's the fourth career All-Conference nod for Cone, who was previously named the conference's 2019 Player of the Year and 2017 Rookie of the Year. She enters the A-10 Championship with the most RBIs among active student-athletes nationally at 248, and her 73 home runs are also a conference record.
Cone is the first repeat A-10 Player of the Year winner since Kellie Cookus of Rhode Island in 1997 and 1998 and just the third in conference history.
Â
- Sierra Lange returned to sensational form with a career season after missing last spring due to injury. In the circle, the redshirt junior from Plano, Texas, leads the A-10 in wins (17) and strikeouts (170), and her 1.83 ERA in 141 2/3 innings is a personal best.Â
A three-time A-10 Pitcher of the Week, GW's ace went 12-1 during the conference regular season with a 1.41 ERA and 111 Ks in 84 2/3 innings, a total that does not include her first career no-hitter vs. Saint Joseph's in a non-league doubleheader on April 17.
All the while, Lange has continued to get it done at the plate. She's hitting .410 on the season with a team-high 55 hits, including a career high seven homers.
Lange is the first GW pitcher to be named to the All A-10 First Team twice after also making the list in 2019.
- Jessica Linquist has earned All-Conference honors for the second time thanks to her terrific work behind the plate and as a catalyst at the top of the batting order.Â
The graduate student from West Deptford, N.J., hit .405, with an on-base percentage of .569 that ranks 13th in the country, while leading the A-10 in runs (50), doubles (16) and walks (36). In addition, her defense has been impeccable as she's thrown out 10 of the 26 base runners who've tried to steal on her and committed just one passed ball.
- Faith Weber has also been an all-around standout for the Buff and Blue, setting career bests in every major pitching and hitting category this spring.
The graduate student from New Egypt, N.J., owns a 14-1 record as a pitcher with a 1.85 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 102 1/3 innings while hitting .364 with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs. She's won 14 straight decisions since a season-opening setback, including an 11-0 mark in A-10 play.
- Alessandra Ponce has been a reliable run producer in the clean-up spot, driving in a team-high 53 runs to rank second in the A-10 thanks to a .320 batting average and 17 extra-base hits.Â
The senior from Henderson, Nev., set a program record in the regular season finale with eight RBIs in a 14-5 victory at St. Bonaventure. It's her third time earning All-Conference recognition after being named to the Second Team in 2018 and 2019.
- A three-time A-10 Rookie of the Week, Alexa Williams has made a major impact on a veteran squad as a first-year.Â
The El Cajon, Calif., native has started all 41 games, batting .388 with 40 RBIs and 18 extra-base hits. She's been remarkably consistent in the middle of the order with a 14-game hitting streak spanning nearly a month mid-season and 14 multi-hit games.
She's the sixth Colonial to be named to both the All-Conference and All-Rookie list in the same season.
- Maggie Greco has provided a consistent spark as a versatile reserve. In 31 games, the sophomore from Bolingbrook, Ill., has hit .370 with a .500 on-base percentage. The All-Rookie pick leads the squad with four sacrifice bunts, and three of her 10 hits have gone for extra-bases, including an inside-the-park home run last Sunday at St. Bonaventure.
Looking to build on its historic regular season, top-seeded GW kicks off the A-10 Championship on Thursday vs. Dayton in an 11 a.m. start at SJU Softball Field.
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballSoftball Gratitude Video
Monday, November 28
NFCA All-American Sierra Lange
Wednesday, June 22
Elana Meyers Taylor Heads to Fourth Olympics
Friday, February 11
Elana Meyers Taylor Heads to Fourth Olympic Games
Friday, February 11