May 5, 2009

PHILADELPHIA - For the second-straight season Saint Joseph's has garnered multiple all-conference honors, this time with four Hawks earning individual accolades. Freshman third baseman Monica Aguilar became the first Hawk in program history to be named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and was selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team alongside junior catcher Brooke Darreff, while senior outfielder Erika Rosenwinkel and senior pitcher Dani Gonzales earned All-Conference Second Team honors. The four award winners bring the Hawks' all-time total to 32 All-Conference honorees, while Aguilar is also the first Hawk to be named an All-Rookie Team selection.

Posting arguably the best freshman campaign in Saint Joseph's history, Aguilar enters this week's Atlantic 10 Championship leading the Hawks in hits (44), runs (33), doubles (10), and defensive assists (116), while ranking second in batting average (.370), home runs (4), slugging percentage (.588) and on-base percentage (.437). A four-time ASA national champion, she has been stellar in conference play, batting .438 with 15 runs, 21 hits and seven RBI. Twice named A-10 Rookie of the Week, Aguilar has started all 41 games at the hot corner for Saint Joseph's.

For the second straight season, Darreff has proven to be the best catcher in the Atlantic 10, earning her second consecutive All-Conference First Team honor. Leading the Hawks with a .391 batting average and .457 on-base percentage, Darreff has slugged a career-high four home runs, while driving in 29 runs and scoring 15 times. The 2008 A-10 Player of the Year, Darreff has posted an astounding 96 hits the past two seasons, while batting .427. She is currently 20th all-time in program history with 115 hits.

Rosenwinkel caps her SJU career with a pair of outstanding seasons, earning Atlantic 10 Second Team All-Conference honors this year. An All-Conference First Team selection after leading the nation in doubles per game (0.45) a season ago, Rosenwinkel has slugged a career-best eight home runs in 2009 and driven in a team-high 32 runs, to go with a .590 slugging percentage. Rosenwinkel enters the Atlantic 10 Championship batting .328 with 40 hits and 24 runs scored while starting all 41 games this season in right field for Saint Joseph's.

An Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team pick two years straight, Gonzales has again amassed impressive numbers on the mound. This season, the ace of the Hawks' staff has recorded a career-best 13 wins, to go with six complete-game shutouts, surpassing her career-total of five from the previous three seasons. Despite having an overall 2.62 ERA, Gonzales has been solid in A-10 play, posting a 1.81 ERA to go with five complete-game shutouts. She currently ranks fifth all-time in SJU history with 355 career strikeouts.

Saint Joseph's, making its second appearance at the Atlantic 10 Championship under third-year head coach Terri Adams, opens conference postseason play Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Fordham.