KUTZTOWN NAMES ITS ATHLETES, ROOKIES, COACHES OF THE YEAR 

KUTZTOWN, PA – Kutztown University has named its Athletes, Rookies and Coaches of the year for the 2006-07 school year. 

            Joe Kemmerer (jr. Mountaintop/Crestwood HS), of the wrestling team, was named the Male Athlete of the Year.  Steph Denlinger (so. Harleysville/Souderton HS), of the softball team, was selected as the Female Athlete of the Year.  Stephen Dennis (fr. West Chester/Henderson HS), of the basketball team, was chosen as the Male Rookie of the Year.  Kaitlin Arbogast (fr. Ambler/Wissahickon HS), of the softball team, was tabbed the Female Rookie of the Year.  Chris Blum was named the Men’s Athletics Coach of the year for his efforts guiding the baseball team.  Judy Lawes, head softball coach, was named the Women’s Athletics Coach of the year.

             Kemmerer was the 2007 NCAA Division II champion in the 133-lb. weight class.  He is just the fifth athlete in school history to win a national championship, the first since 1997 and the first for the wrestling program. In addition to the national title, he was the East Regional champion and PSAC runner up in his weight class.  He finished with a record of 32-3, the second-most wins in a season in KU history.  He did not lose to a Division II wrestler all season.   

             Denlinger was a first-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and Daktronics All-America first baseman.  She was also the Daktronics Mid-Atlantic Region and PSAC East Player of the Year, while earning first-team Daktronics and NFCA all-region, and first-team All-PSAC East kudos.  Denlinger led Div. II in home runs/game (0.44) and slugging percentage (1.111).  She set PSAC single-season records for runs (70), RBI (73), home runs (24), slugging percentage and walks (51), and set three other single-season KU records. 

            Dennis was named the PSAC East Rookie of the Year.  He earned second-team All-PSAC East honors, the only freshman to earn all-conference honors in the division.  He averaged 15.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.  He added 46 steals and shot 78.5% from the free throw line, while starting all 28 games.   

            Arbogast was named the PSAC East Pitcher and Rookie of the Year.  She added first-team All-PSAC East and NFCA All-Region honors, while earning a spot on the Daktronics All-Region second team. The right-handed pitcher set single-season KU records for games (40), wins (27), complete games (29), innings (249.1) and strikeouts (287).  

             Blum earns the men’s athletics coach of the year award for the second straight time.  He was named the PSAC East Coach of the Year after guiding his team to the 2007 NCAA North Atlantic Regional title and an eighth-place national finish.  Blum’s team was ranked #1 in the nation for a week late in the season, marking the first time on record that a KU team, in any sport, earned the top national ranking.  KU finished 49-7 overall, leading Division II in winning percentage.  The Golden Bears won the PSAC East regular-season title with a 19-1 record. 

            Lawes was named the PSAC East Coach of the Year after her team won the regular-season division title with a school-record 22-2 mark.  Her team also set a program record for overall wins, finishing with a 43-18 record.  The Golden Bears were the PSAC tournament runner-up and placed fifth in the regional tournament. 

            The nominees for KU’s year-end awards are voted upon by members of the KU athletics department staff.  The awards will be formally presented at halftime of the Sept. 15 football game vs. Shippensburg.