And the winner is...

As student-athletes know all too well, this time of year can be incredibly hectic. That's especially true for student-athletes competing in spring sports, as they try to end both their academic and athletic year — or career — on a high note.

This week I was unable to track down the winner of The People's Choice due to the aforementioned circumstances, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't still be recognized. To be honest, she's one of the more decorated athletes in the Horizon League, so I'm sure adding "The People's Choice" would land somewhere near the bottom of her long list of accomplishments... and rightfully so!

From the softball diamond, our winner this week — determined by you — is Cleveland State pitcher, Amanda Macenko. Of course, the timing of when voting ends (Tuesday afternoon) and when the 2010 Horizon League Softball Championship began (Thursday morning) didn't give me much of a window to try and track down the Vikings' flame thrower... but I'm sure many of you are already well aware of everything she's accomplished while being a part of Angie Nicholson's softball program at CSU.

To be fair, however, if I had caught up with Macenko earlier this week, I probably would have asked her about the team setting both a school record (43), and Horizon League record (22) for wins in a season. I'm sure I would have asked her about breaking CSU's all-time mark for career strikeouts WAY back in mid-April. Being named the Horizon League's Pitcher of the Year for a 3rd consecutive season would have likely been another topic of conversation, along with the excitement of being able to host this year's Softball Championship. As you can see, it's been another pretty good season for the Vikings on the softball diamond.

If their dominance continues through this weekend, Macenko will absolutely be one of the major reasons why. And if that's the case, you can rest assured that come next week, you'll see and hear plenty from her (and others) when we recap the League's tournament championship game.

They need a few more wins to repeat as Horizon League champions, but they got off to a good start Thursday afternoon, outlasting Valparaiso 1-0 in 8 innings. Macenko went the distance, giving up just three hits and striking out ten.