INDIANAPOLIS – Arizona State softball pitcher Hillary Bach has been selected as a Top Nine Finalist for the 2012 Woman of the Year Award. The former Tillman Scholar was the 2012 Pac-12 Conference Woman of the Year.
Bach, whose hometown is Tulsa, graduated with her undergraduate degree in business marketing in 2011, as a junior on the softball team. A winner of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship this July, she is currently working towards her masters of business administration.
She was 22-1 with a 1.51 ERA for the Sun Devils in 2012, helping them reach the final four of the Women's College World Series.
The other finalists are:
Grace Collins, Barry University
Sunshine State Conference
Philosophy and History
Softball
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Kate Griewisch, Lenoir-Rhyne University
South Atlantic Conference
Biology
Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field
Hometown: Banner Elk, North Carolina
Kelsey Kittleson, Luther College
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Biology
Softball
Hometown: St. Ansgar, Iowa
Sarah Jane Otey, U.S. Coast Guard Academy
New England Women’s & Men’s Athletic Conference
Marine and Environmental Science
Rowing and Swimming
Hometown: Billings, Montana
Brooke Pancake, University of Alabama
Southeastern Conference
Marketing
Golf
Hometown: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Alexi Pappas, Dartmouth University
Ivy League
Creative Writing and English
Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field
Hometown: Alameda, California
Elizabeth Phillips, Washington University (Missouri)
University Athletic Association
Biomedical Engineering
Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field
Hometown: Homer Glen, Illinois
Verena Preikschas, California State University, Stanislaus
Independent
Psychology
Tennis
Hometown: Arnsberg, Germany
Beginning with 429 individuals who were nominated by member institutions for the national award, the selection process was narrowed down to the top 30 honorees, composed of 10 honorees from each NCAA division. Cumulatively, the top 30 earned a 3.87 grade-point average and more than 90 Academic All-America honors, earned nearly 20 national championships (individual and team) and nearly 110 All-America honors and have volunteered for more than 375 organizations during their college careers.
