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MARSHALL, Minn. - The Southwest Minnesota State softball team finished the 2010 season with an overall record of 18-25 and 11-15 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.  The Mustangs were eighth in the final conference standings and took that seed to the NSIC Tournament before being eliminated by Concordia University, St. Paul.

Letterwinners (18):  Christine Borowiak, Kristin Braden, Amy Dreessen, Chelsey Evans, Andrea Fennern, Jacey Fry, Alix Gabus, Brittney Hallahan, Cortney Heim, Ali Honken, Meaghan Laetsch, Amanda Neumann, Kiley Peterson, Micki Seibring, Lauren Smith, Krista Steen, Katie Turner, Amanda Voss.

All-NSIC:  The NSIC announced on May 5 that sophomores Christine Borowiak and Brittney Hallahan were named All-NSIC second team, as voted on by the conference's 14 head coaches.  Borowiak (Omaha, Neb.) finished the season batting .353 with a team-best 49 hits, while Hallahan led the Mustangs with a .362 batting average.   These were the first All-NSIC honors for both players.

Academic All-NSIC (5): Five Mustangs were honored for their performance in the classroom during the spring semester.  Andrea Fennern, Brittney Hallahan, Meaghan Laetsch, Micki Seibring and Krista Steen all earned Academic All-NSIC honors.  To be eligible for this honor, a student-athlete must be a member of the varsity traveling team and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher.

Live statistics:  Live statistics for ALL of SMSU's home games are available for the 2010 season at www.smsumustangs.com/softballstats.  Live coverage will also be provided at many of the Mustangs' road contests.

To end:  Sporting the No. 8 seed, the Mustangs opened the NSIC Tournament with a 7-3 loss to No. 1-seeded and host Augustana on May 7 in Sioux Falls.  The loss set SMSU up with Concordia-St. Paul, which eliminated the Mustangs from the tournament by posting a 3-1 victory.

Goodbye seniors:  Two SMSU elders wrapped up their tenures with the Mustangs in 2010; Meaghan Laetsch (Salem, S.D.) and Andrea Fennern (Wabasso, Minn.), both mainstays in the SMSU line-up throughout their careers, played their final games as Mustangs in the NSIC Tournament.  Laetsch finished her career with a .279 batting average, while Fennern ends with a .269 average.

Mustangs not in NCAA tourney:  For the first time in five years, SMSU was not selected to the NCAA Tournament.  The Mustangs had made appearances in the previous four seasons.

According to the coaches:  The NSIC's head coaches tabbed SMSU fifth in the 2010  Preseason Coaches' Poll.  SMSU received 143 points in the poll.  Winona State received 179 points and 11 first place votes to take the top spot.
        Team    Points
    1.     Winona State (11)    179
    2.     Wayne State (2)    159
    3.     Minnesota State (1)    151
    4.     Augustana    149
    5.     Southwest Minnesota State    143
    6.     Minnesota Duluth    121
    7.    Concordia-St. Paul    118
    8.     St. Cloud State    94
    9.     Mary    84
    10.     Upper Iowa    77
    11.     MSU Moorhead    58
    12.     Bemidji State    49
    13.     Northern State    48
    14.     Minnesota, Crookston    26

The coach:  Shawn Semler finished his seventh year as the head coach of the SMSU softball program.  A three-time NSIC Coach of the Year, Semler has compiled a 212-141 record at SMSU.  Heading into the season, he had led the SMSU softball team to five regular season conference championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances in his tenure.  Semler is assisted by Kari Sagehorn and Dane Jensen.

The strive for five:  For the first time in five years, SMSU is not the conference champion.  The Mustangs had won the past four consecutive regular season NSIC titles--all under head coach Shawn Semler.  In fact, heading into this season, there were several players on this year's squad who had yet to experience a season where they have not been on a conference-title team.

Stay connected: Stay connected with SMSU softball all season long at www.smsumustangs.com.  The Mustangs are also on Facebook and Twitter; just log onto www.facebook.com/smsumustangs and www.twitter.com/smsumustangs.  For the latest video highlights and new episodes of the Mustang Minute check out SMSU's official YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/smsuathletics.