Madison, Wis. - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse junior shortstop Jenna Ahnen of Sparta (H.S.), senior outfielder Rachel Croak of Greendale (H.S.), senior first baseman Cara Salm of Kimberly (H.S.) and junior pitcher Heather Schultz of Annandale, Minn. (H.S.) have been named to the 2010 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Softball First Team in a vote by league coaches. Ahnen has also been selected the 2010 WIAC Position Player of the Year while Schultz was named the WIAC Pitcher of the Year. UW-L's Chris Helixon was named the WIAC Coach of the Year.

Freshman outfielder Lauren Schaller of Onalaska (Holmen) and freshman pitcher Ashley Veroeven of Mankato, Minn. (West) were selected to the 2010 All-WIAC Honorable Mention Team. Junior outfielder Rachel Weyer of Loyal (H.S.) was named to the All-WIAC Sportsmanship Team.

Ahnen becomes the second player in school history to earn the WIAC Position Player of the Year Award joining Kay Kueppers (2002). An All-WIAC First Team selection for the second straight season, Ahnen leads UW-L in batting average (.462), hits (67), doubles (11) and stolen bases (13) in 2010. She is tied for the team lead in triples (2) and total bases (88) while ranking second in at-bats (145) and runs (41). Ahnen is also fourth in RBI (29).

Her 67 hits in 2010 are a single-season school record with at least one hit in 37 of 43 contests. A starter in all 43 games, Ahnen has 23 multi-hit games. She had a career-high 16-game hitting streak earlier this season and currently has an eight-game hitting streak.

Ahnen ranks second in career hits (173) and runs scored (115), third in career steals (39) and fourth in career doubles (31). She currently ranks first in career batting at UW-L (.439) after setting a single-season school record in 2009 (.478). Ahnen is also tied for seventh in career RBI (78).

Schultz is the second pitcher in school history to be named the WIAC Pitcher of the Year joining Sally Wenzel (2003). A 2009 All-WIAC Honorable Mention selection, Schultz is 22-2 this season with a 1.58 earned run average. Her 22 victories in 2010 is a single-season school record. She leads the Eagles in wins (22), ERA (1.58), appearances (27), starts (22), complete-games (14), shutouts (5), innings (154.2) and strikeouts (148) this season. Schultz has held opponents to a .211 batting average.

With 55 career wins (55-18), Schultz is first in UW-L history in victories while ranking second in innings (396.0) and strikeouts (278) and third in appearances (78).

Her 148 strikeouts in 2010 are second in single-season school history. Schultz recorded 146 strikeouts in 2009, fourth on UW-L's single-season list. She has 30 complete-games and 11 shutouts in her three seasons.

Croak earned her third career all-conference recognition in 2010, including her second straight first team honor. She was named to the 2008 All-WIAC Honorable Mention Team. A starter in all 43 games this year, Croak leads the Eagles in at-bats (153) and runs (46) while being second in hits (62), walks (12) and stolen bases (10).

She has at least one hit in 38 contests in 2010, including 16 multi-hit games. Croak had a 16-game hitting streak this year and currently has an six-game hitting streak.

Croak is UW-L's career leader in hits (193), runs (148), stolen bases (50) and at-bats (506). She also holds the single-season stolen base record (20 in 2008). A career .381 hitter, Croak has a set a single-season school record for at-bats (153) in 2010.

Salm earned her first career All-WIAC honor after being named to the first team this season. She has started all 43 games in 2010 and leads the team in RBI (43) and walks (13) while ranking second in home runs (8). Salm has a team-high 11 games with multi-RBI, including six in UW-L's 12-2 victory over UW-Superior May 8 in the WIAC Tournament. She has at least one hit in 30 games this year with 13 multi-hit contests.

Salm ranks first in school history in career home runs (19) and RBI (129) while being sixth in at-bats (473) and seventh in hits (151) and doubles (24). She is a career .319 hitter.

Schaller is hitting .388 after starting 42 games this season, leading the Eagles with 10 home runs. She is also tied for the team lead in total bases (88) while being tied for second in doubles (9) and third in hits (47). Schaller ranks fourth in runs scored (28).

Recording a hit in 30 of 42 games, Schaller has 13 multi-hit contests. She is second on the team with 10 multi-RBI games.

Veroeven is 7-2 this season with a 3.33 earned run average. She has recorded a team-leading two saves, coming against St. Scholastica, Minn. (March 16) and St. Mary's Minn. (April 11). Veroeven ranks second on the team in wins (7), starts (12), complete-games (3), innings (77.2) and strikeouts (76).

Weyer was named to the 2008 All-WIAC Honorable Mention Team. She is hitting .279 this season while starting all 43 games. Weyer leads UW-L in sacrifice hits (15) while ranking second in RBI (36), third in runs scored (34) and home runs (5). She is tied for the team lead in triples (2) while being tied for fourth in doubles (8).

The school record holder for hits in a game (5 versus UW-Superior in 2009), Weyer ranks fourth in career runs (109) and home runs (14). She is also sixth in career RBI (87) and doubles (28), tied for seventh in triples (7) and eighth in hits (150). Weyer is also 10th in career at-bats (433) and is a career .346 hitter.

Helixon is in his fifth season at UW-L, compiling a record of 123-85. The Eagles have set a single-season school record for wins (37) this season. The Eagles also had a school record 21-game winning streak. The team has set single-season records for RBI (244) and tied the record for home runs (37). UW-L also has a team record 253 pitching strikeouts.

UW-L has now had 13 players named to the All-WIAC First Team in Helixon's five years. It is Helixon's second career coaching award after being selected the 2001 Midwest Classic Conference Coach of the Year while serving as Viterbo University's (Wis.) head coach.

Last season, Helixon led UW-L to its first appearance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Tournament since 1986 as the Eagles won their first WIAC Tournament title. UW-L went 0-2 at last year's regional.

UW-L earned its second straight WIAC Tournament title in 2010, defeating UW-Whitewater 2-0 in the championship game May 9. With the tournament title, the Eagles earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. UW-L will face Aurora University (Ill.) in the first round of the national tournament Thursday, May 13 at 4 p.m. in Whitewater, Wis.