July 4, 2009

FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State Athletics has had many memorable moments during its history. Each day during the month of July, Gobulldogs.com will highlight a great moment from Fresno State Athletics history.

Amanda Scott and Jamie Southern honored with the NCAA Top VIII Award.

The NCAA Top VIII award is one of the most coveted and prestigious awards handed out by the NCAA. Student-athletes from the Division I, II and III ranks are considered for the award. The Top VIII Award yearly singles out the top eight student-athletes who demonstrate athletics success, academic achievement and community service.

Since the start of the award in 1973, Fresno State is one of only nine schools who have had two student-athletes recognized with this high honor as Amanda Scott and Jamie Southern earned the honor in 2001 and 2006 respectively. The only other schools to have more honorees for the award are Stanford, Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Penn State, Nebraska, North Carolina and UCLA.

Southern was a four-time All-American and a two-time Academic All-American. She earned the Joe Kearney Award in 2005 as the top female WAC athlete and she is the only WAC pitcher to be a four-time WAC pitcher of the Year. She had the best ERA in the NCAA in 2002 and 2004.

At the time Southern received the award she ranked in nine of the 11 all-time career pitching categories in NCAA Division I history as she was fourth in shutouts (79), No. 8 in complete games (141), No. 10 in strikeouts (1,321) and No. 10 in victories (118).

Scott was a four-time All-American who led Fresno State to the Women's College World Series championship in 1998. Scott made the all WCWS team in 1999 and she was the named the Most Outstanding Player in WCWS, the year the Bulldogs won the program's first-ever national title. Scott won three WAC championships and she was named conference Pitcher of the Year three times. She posted a 44-1 career conference record with 27 shutouts.

Coming tomorrow: Melanie Gloria is a four-time WAC Player of the Year and Two-Time All-American

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