OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Illinois State softball senior Regan Romshek has been named one of 30 finalists for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award. Romshek, a pitcher/designated player, was nominated for the award because of her excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
"Regan is a natural leader," said head coach Melinda Fischer. "She is a caring individual who does all the right things for all the right reasons. She brings a team-first attitude and wants to make sure everybody is taken care of, which means she probably does things behind the scenes that even we coaches do not see. Kids relate to her very well, and she knows what needs to happen both academically and athletically to make this a successful program. I think you see that with her performance on the field and in the classroom. She has the athletic accolades and is a stellar student."
Romshek has had a decorated career for Illinois State. In 2014 she was named to the All-MVC First Team after ranking in the top-five in the MVC in innings (second with 220.0), ERA (second with 2.77) and wins (tied for third with 17). In 2015, Romshek was named to the All-MVC Second Team and to the NFCA All-Mideast Region Third Team.
Romshek's performance in the MVC Tournament also earned her a spot on the MVC All-Tournament Team. She led ISU in runs (44), triples (2) and doubles (11) while ranking second in batting average (.347), hits (58), home runs (15) and slugging percentage (.707). In addition, she led the team in pitching wins, strikeouts, starts and complete games.
In the classroom, she has been named to the AFNI Honor Roll all seven semesters and recorded a 4.0 grade-point average in three semesters. As she finishes her final semester, her cumulative GPA stands at 3.75. For her efforts, Regan has been named to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Team the past two seasons. In 2015, Romshek was a finalist for Illinois State's Linda Herman Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.
Romshek has also been active in the community since setting foot on ISU's campus in 2013. As a freshman, she recorded 11 hours of community service and followed it up with 17.5 hours as a sophomore. The Redbirds performed over 400 hours of community service during Romshek's sophomore season. As a junior, Romshek did 10 hours of community service, and midway through the year she had done five hours as a senior. Romshek has been a leader for ISU the past four seasons when they read books to elementary students in Clearwater, Fla.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season.
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