FINDLAY, Ohio- Ohio Dominican’s Braxton Downs and Hillsdale’s Joni Russell were voted the Great Midwest Athletic Conference player and pitcher of the year, respectively, in a vote of the conference’s softball head coaches. Kentucky Wesleyan’s Megan Matheis was the top freshman and Trevecca’s Sydney McCormick earned the Elite 26 award for academic excellence. The awards will be presented during the first day of the Great Midwest Softball Championship, which is being played in Findlay, Ohio.
 
Downs, a senior from Louisville, Ky., hit .400 with seven home runs and .457 with three homers in conference play. This season, she shattered the Panthers’ program record for single-season doubles (20) and career doubles (52).
 
Russell, a junior from Cable, Ohio, recorded a 16-6 record overall this season with a 0.71 ERA. She struck out a league-high 224 batters through 156.2 innings for six shutouts this season.
 
Matheis, a native of Jasper, Ind., burst onto the scene by batting a league-high .456 in her first year. She had an on-base percentage of .497 and recorded 41 RBIs.
 
Marcella Vanlandingham from Ohio Dominican was voted as Great Midwest Softball Coach of the Year. Vanlandingham coached ODU to the top seed in the conference tournament as well as a regular season title with a 20-4 record, and a 33-18 overall mark.
 
Trevecca's Sydney McCormick was awarded the Eite 26 Award for academic excellence. McCormick earned the award as a senior majoring in sports management. 

This year’s tournament will be played over the course of four days, beginning at 4:00 P.M. ET on May 3. The double elimination bracket features the top eight teams from the conference based on winning percentage. The top two teams will advance to the finals, set for Saturday, May 6 at 10:00 A.M. ET.
 
All games will be streamed live on the Great Midwest Digital Network. Spectator and other championship information can be found by visiting the Championship Central page.

A full list of award winners can be found HERE.