Freshman Vanessa Iapala Recognized By USA Softball
Beaver catcher invited to USA Junior National Team Camp.

Oct. 2, 2002

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Oregon State University freshman softball player Vanessa Iapala has been selected by USA Softball to participate in the Junior Women's National Team Camp, October 3-6 at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA.

Iapala, a catcher from San Diego, CA, is one of 31 athletes invited to the camp. From the field, USA Softball will select a roster of 17 players to represent the United States at the 1st Pan American Junior Women's Softball Championship.

"This is a well deserved honor," said OSU head coach Kirk Walker. "Vanessa had a tremendous performance at Gold Nationals and that's where they (USA Softball) made the selections.

"It's nice for our program," continued Walker. "We hope she does well through the tryout and makes the team."

The USA Junior Women's National Team will compete in the Pan American Softball Championship, December 13-21 in Sonora, Republic of Mexico. The top five teams from this championship will earn a berth into the 2003 ISF Junior Women's World Championship in Nanjing, China. The National Team will train together December 7-12, prior to leaving for Sonora, in a destination that as yet to be determined.

The United States captured gold at the 1987 and 1995 ISF Junior Women's World Championships. In 1999, the last Junior Women's World Championship, the USA finished second behind Japan.

The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. As the National Governing Body, the ASA is responsible for identifying, selecting and training male and female athletes to compete in World, Pan American and Olympic competitions. In addition to those duties, the ASA conducts the only recognized National Championship competitions in the United States.







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