Central Softball Players Win ESPY Award

July 17, 2008

ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- The simple act of sportsmanship by Central Washington University softball players Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace, which garnered more than a month of national media attention this past spring, has now won the girls an ESPY award for best moment in the past sports year. The girls, along with Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon, were honored Wednesday, July 16, 2008, at the taping of the 16th annual ESPY Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony will air Sunday, July 20 at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

Put on by ESPN, the ESPY, Excellence in Sports Performance, is a premier sports awards event that honors individual and team athletic achievements and other sports-related performances each year. The winner in each category was decided by fan votes. This year, singer Justin Timberlake hosted the event.

The moment Holtman and Wallace were honored for is one that people are still talking about and will continue to talk about for a long time. It was during a home game at CWU on April 26, when the pair performed a selfless act of sportsmanship, that to them was "just the right thing to do," that caught the attention of the nation.

During the game, Western Oregon senior outfielder Sara Tucholsky hit her first-ever home run. Distracted and surprised by her accomplishment, Tucholsky missed first base as she ran past it. She turned around to tag the base, but her knee gave out, sending her to the ground in pain. She had torn her ACL.

Oregon had no other option but to put in a pinch runner, which would take away Tucholsky's first and only home run of her softball career. That's when Holtman spoke up and asked if she could carry the injured opponent around the bases. Wallace joined in and together the girls locked their hands under Tucholsky, gently lifted her up and carried her from base to base, allowing her to tap each one. The three players exchanged giggles as they made it around the field. And the rest, as they say, is history.

"We didn't even know that while we were carrying her around the bases, people in the stands were crying," Holtman said. "We just thought it was the right thing to do. She hit the ball over the fence. She deserved that home run."

It's that kind of attitude that makes this simple gesture a true moment in sports history and the perfect choice for the best moment of 2008 ESPY Award.

Central ended up losing the game that day and their chance at the playoffs. What they got in return is a memory that will last a lifetime, a moment that has touched more lives than anyone ever imagined, and a story that will be shared for many years to come on softball fields all across the country.

Way to go Mallory and Liz. Your simple gesture has reminded us all what the game is truly about.

In the past few months since the event occurred, this story has spent quite a bit of time in the national spotlight. The girls have made appearances on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "SportsCenter," CBS' "The Early Show" and ESPN2's "First Take." They've also made appearances at the Women's College World Series, the AT&T National Sportsmanship Awards, the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium in New York, and they've thrown out the first pitch at a Mariners game at Safeco Field in Seattle.

Mallory and Liz at ESPYs

Media Contact:
Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, olint@cwu.edu,509-963-1416

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of place bound students at six university centers throughout the state. CWU is an AA/EEO Title IX Institution.