CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today its All-Conference Teams and major awards for the 2010 softball season. Central College junior first baseman Katie Tenboer (Morrison, Ill./Morrison) has been named the 2010 IIAC Softball Position Player of the Year, Simpson College senior Whitney Oviatt (Carnation, Wash./Cedarcrest) has been named the 2010 IIAC Softball Pitcher of the Year and Simpson College head coach Henry Christowski has been named 2010 IIAC Softball Coach of the Year honors.

Through 42 team games, Tenboer hit .400 with 48 hits, nine doubles, one triple, eight home runs, and 40 RBI, ranking fourth in total bases (83), home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage (.692), seventh in batting average, eighth in on-base percentage (.471), and ninth in hits and doubles. Her .994 field percentage (2 errors in 335 chances), ranks fourth in the league among players with 100 or more chances.

In 16 Conference games, Tenboer hit .447 with six home runs, 21 RBI, a .915 slugging percentage, and a .509 on-base percentage. She also converted 116 chances without an error at first base. Tenboer led the IIAC in RBI, shared the lead in home runs with Luther’s Tiffany Kruse, and ranked second in slugging percentage, third in on-base percentage, fourth in hits (21), and fifth in batting average.

Her 2010 season ranks as one of the best ever for a Central player offensively. She has already set the single-season RBI record and ranks second in home runs and fourth in total bases for a single season. She also currently ranks in the single-season top ten in both batting average and slugging percentage. This season, Tenboer had a four-hit game against perennial national power St. Thomas (Minn.), had six RBI in a game against Buena Vista, and twice had two run-scoring hits in the same inning (at Buena Vista May 1; vs. Loras May 6). With the remainder of the 2010 season and the entire 2011 season still ahead of her, Tenboer ranks third in Central history with 14 home runs and is tied for sixth in RBIs with 92.

Through 41 team games, Oviatt has a 22-5 record, a 1.78 ERA, 128 strikeouts, five shutouts (nine total combined) and 19 complete games in 32 appearances (29 starts). To this point, she leads all IIAC pitchers in wins, ranks second in innings pitched, and fourth in strikeouts, earned run average, and opposing batting average (.217).

Oviatt started 15 of 16 Iowa Conference games for Simpson, finishing with a 13-1 record, a 1.62 ERA and 52 strikeouts. She pitched eight complete games in league play and all or part of six Storm shutouts while hodling opponents to a .212 batting average. Oviatt led the league in wins and innings pitched (90.2).

With 20 wins this season, Oviatt became Simpson’s first 20-game winner since Kelly Schade won 37 games during the Storm’s NCAA Championship run in 1999 and is one of only three Simpson pitchers to ever accomplish the feat. She also surpassed the 400-strikeout mark May 6, becoming only the fourth Storm pitcher to eclipse the milestone.

Also a member of Simpson’s 2009-10 IIAC Champion volleyball and basketball teams, Oviatt distinguished herself as an athlete for all seasons. She was a two-time Second Team All-Conference pick in volleyball (2008, 2009) and was a member of four Iowa Conference Championship teams during her Simpson career (Volleyball, 2006 & 2009; Basketball, 2010; Softball, 2010).

Christowski guided Simpson to its seventh Iowa Conference title overall and its first since 2000. With a win in their first game in the Iowa Conference Softball Tournament May 6, the Storm improved to 30-8 with a 14-2 mark in Iowa Conference play, cracking the 30-win plateau for the first time since 2004. This is the third time Christowski has been honored by his peers (1997, 1998).

The IIAC also announced today the 2010 All-Iowa Conference Softball Team. The 26-member Team includes 12 repeat All-Conference performers – including Coe’s Abby Wedemeier – who becomes the 20th four-time All-Conference selection. Conference champion Simpson had a league-high seven All-Conference performers, including five first-teamers. Runner-up Luther had five All-Conference performers with four making the First Team, while Central and Loras each had four players selected.