MAY 15, 2007
VALONIS REPEATS ON ESPN THE MAGAZINE DISTRICT II ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
WILKES-BARRE -- King's College softball standout Mari Valonis (Dickson City/Mid Valley) has been selected to the 2007 ESPN the Magazine District II All-Academic Softball Team as a second-team selection. It marks the second straight year she has been honored by the publication.
District II includes all NCAA Division II and III colleges from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.
A senior first-baseman, Valonis recently concluded an outstanding career at King's where she was a four-time first-team All-Freedom Conference selection and a two-time Freedom Conference "Player of the Year". She concluded her senior season by batting .376 (50-133) with 11 doubles, two triples, six home runs, and 35 RBI while posting a .624 slugging percentage. She helped lead King's to a 34-9 record, the 2007 Freedom Conference championship and the program's third trip to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.Academically, she owns a 3.22 overall grade-point average as an accounting major. Valonis is a four-time Dean's List selection and is a member of King's Accounting Association. She participated in a number of community service functions, including the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk and bagged lunches for VISION. She volunteered with the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen as well as the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Bowl-A-Thon. She also participated in the PricewaterhouseCoopers XAct Competition.
She is a three-time MAC All-Academic selection and was a 2006 National Fastpitch Coaches Association third-team Division III All-American. She was also a four-time NFCA East Regional All-American choice. She is King's career record-holder with 32 home runs and 180 RBI.
"Mari has been an outstanding representative of King's College on and off the field," said King's sports information director Bob Ziadie, who nominated Valonis for the award. "She enjoyed an amazing softball career while also performing admirably in the classroom while giving of herself to help others in the community. Mari has been a fixture at King's and we are very proud of all she has accomplished."
King's College
133 North River Street Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
1 (888) KINGS PA
Questions or comments to: Bob Ziadie, King's College Sports Information Director
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