Shelby Babcock of Legacy High School in Broomfield has been named Colorado’s Gatorade softball player of the year. She is a finalist for the national player of the year award that will be announced later this month.
Last fall, Babcock was 22-1 on the mound with a 0.15 ERA and 292 strikeouts in 138 innings. She also batted third in the order (.457 average). Babcock, a Lightning senior who will play at Arizona in 2010, has a 3.0 grade-point average and is a two-time player of the year, as selected by The Denver Post. Neil H. Devlin, The Denver Post
AFA and CU track athletes gain All-America status.
Air Force’s Nick Frawley, runner-up in the NCAA outdoor championships pole vault a year ago, finished seventh Friday with a vault of 17 feet, 6 inches in Fayetteville, Ark. AFA also had another scorer in Air Force’s Sara Neubauer, eighth in the women’s shot put. Neubauer also took All-America honors and will compete in today’s discus finals. All-America status is given to the top 12 Americans in each event.
CU junior Jordan Kyle, 12th in the men’s 10,000- meter run Thursday, also made the All-America list, as did Buffs freshman Emma Coburn (11th in steeplechase).
University of Wyoming senior Jake Shanklin earned his first outdoor All-America honor with a 10th-place finish in the hammer throw (207 feet, 11 inches). Shanklin twice received All-America honors in the 35-pound weight throw at the indoor championships.
Mountain Vista grad Kemp nets soccer honor.
Taylor Kemp, a recent graduate of Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch, has been named to the Parade All-America soccer team.
The Maryland-bound Kemp, a midfielder, has extensive national team experience. He is the lone Coloradan on the team that will be announced in Sunday’s issue of the magazine, included in The Denver Post.
AFA’s Alexander named All-American.
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has named Air Force senior-to-be Matt Alexander, a designated hitter/first baseman, to its All-America first team.
Alexander, who is the first Falcon to earn first-team honors, is also one of 16 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, given to the top player in collegiate baseball. Alexander batted .383 and led the Mountain West Conference with 65 RBIs, and was second with 15 home runs.
Home finale for Colorado Ice.
The Colorado Ice of the Indoor Football League wraps up its home season tonight at 7 p.m. at Loveland’s Budweiser Event Center against the 7-2 El Paso Generals. The Ice, 5-6, needs one more win or one loss by winless Alaska to make the IFL playoffs. Former Montrose High School quarterback Miles Scheer takes over for ex-Colorado State QB Justin Holland, out at least a week with a shoulder injury.
