Lyndsay Butler, a redshirt-junior pitcher/outfielder from Wayne State University, was named the softball nominee for the Division II Honda Athlete of the Year award as announced by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.

She is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious II Honda Athlete of the Year honor. This will be voted on at the end of the academic year by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of THE CWSA program, now in its 40th year.

“I am so grateful for what this year has brought me,” said Butler. “This is such a great honor and I couldn't be more excited.”

Butler, hailing from Cambridge, Ont., was named the 2016 NFCA DII National Player of the Year and earned first-team All-America honors from the NFCA and D2CCA. The 2016 GLIAC Player of the Year, she had previously won back-to-back GLIAC Pitcher of the Year honors and is a three-time All-GLIAC first-team honoree. She was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America second-team and was twice recognized on the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team.

She concluded her junior season with a .483 batting average (97-for-201), 38 extra-base hits (19 2B, 7 3B, 12 HR) and 42 RBI.  Her .826 slugging percentage was .100 higher than the previous school mark set in 2011, while her .521 on-base percentage edged the previous WSU record of .517 in 1992.

On the mound, Butler's 29 victories rank third in program history, while both her opponent batting average (.164) and shutouts (11) ranked fifth.  In addition, her ERA (0.77) and strikeouts (227) were seventh in the WSU annals.  Butler has led the Warriors in wins, strikeouts, saves, complete games, shutouts and innings pitched each of the last three seasons.

“It is a great honor for Lyndsay and she is a great person to represent softball and Wayne State University,” said head coach Gary Bryce.

All sports nominees from DII and DIII become a finalist for the prestigious 2016 Honda Collegiate Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, and will be presented on a live telecast on June 27, 2016, in the Founders’ Room at the Galen Center on the campus of the University of Southern California in downtown Los, Angeles.

The sports nominees are recognized in 11 DII and DIII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.

The CWSA, celebrating its 40th year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.  Since commencing its sponsorship thirty years ago in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.0 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.