Two Bears Named to Jewish Sports Review All-America Team
St. Louis, Mo., July 8, 2011 — Senior first baseman Ally Berenter and sophomore catcher Sondra Polonsky of the Washington University in St. Louis softball team have been named to the 2011 Jewish Sports Review Softball All-America Team, as announced by the publication.
Polonsky was named to the first team while Berenter earned honorable mention accolades. The duo becomes the third and fourth softball student-athletes in school history to earn Jewish Sports Review Softball All-America honors joining Jamie Kressel (2004-07) and Karli Stander (2008).
Polonsky started 41 of 42 games at catcher for the Bears, and batted a career-best .408 with four home runs and 35 RBIs. A second-team all-University Athletic Association (UAA) selection, she recorded nine multiple RBI and 13 multiple-hit games and had a career-long 10-game hitting streak from March 6 to March 15. Polonsky hit safely in 31 of 42 games played.
She was 4-for-5 with career-high four RBIs and hit the first home run of her career against Grinnell College on April 2, and went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs against No. 18 ranked DePauw University on April 29.
Berenter batted .355 with six home runs and 21 RBIs in 2011 before missing the final 11 games with a season-ending injury. She made 109 starts in her four-year career, and ranks second in school history in walks (52), fifth in home runs (15), eighth in RBIs (81) and ninth in batting average (.352). A two-time Academic All-UAA honoree, Berenter graduated in May with a degree in political science.
Berenter was a 2008 honorable-mention all-UAA and a 2010 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) first-team all-Midwest Region honoree, and has earned three UAA Athlete of the Week awards. She hit two home runs in an inning against Grinnell College in 2010, becoming just the sixth player in Division III history to achieve the feat.
The Washington University softball team completed the 2011 season with a 32-12-1 overall record, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 10th-straight year. The Bears also placed second in the UAA with a 6-2 mark.