College seniors often set out to put their best foot forward in their final year in preparation for whatever life brings following graduation. Kyrie Timbrook ’10 took that mantra to heart, resulting in a record-breaking season on the softball diamond and a horde of honors, both academic and athletic, that would fill several trophy cases.
The starting first baseman on the Cougars softball team, Timbrook led the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) in batting average (.449), runs batted in (68) and hits (80), while setting single-season school records for RBIs, hits, doubles (22) and total bases (132). She also tied classmate Danielle Genovese ’10 for the home run record (10). An excellent defensive player at first base, Timbrook committed just two errors in 500 chances for a .996 fielding percentage.
With such impressive numbers, Timbrook received first team All-America honors from both the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and Daktronics, which is voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America. She was named the CACC and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year and made the NFCA and Daktronics all-East Region first teams, as the Cougars advanced to the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament for the sixth time in the past seven years.
Timbrook was equally impressive as a communication arts major at Caldwell, graduating cum laude in May with a 3.68 grade point average. The combination of academic and athletic success proved to be fruitful for Timbrook, who was voted to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America second team. She is the fifth Caldwell student-athlete to receive Academic All-America honors.
The CACC also recognized Timbrook for her academic and athletic excellence, as the conference named her its Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as well as its Woman of the Year. The Woman of the Year award honors senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence, service and leadership. This summer it was announced that Timbrook will receive the ECAC Division II Female Scholar-Athlete Award for the second year in a row.
“Kyrie certainly is deserving of all of these honors, and we are very happy for her,” said Dean Johnson, head softball coach at Caldwell. “She exemplifies all that a student-athlete should be, both on the field and in the classroom. With all of the awards she has received for her accomplishments as a softball player, I’m happy she is being recognized as a quality student-athlete. I’m sure she will be successful after Caldwell and I wish her well.”
