October 13, 2010 HAMDEN, Conn. -Quinnipiac softball junior transfer Ashley Heiberger (Sioux Falls, S.D.) was named 2010 Diamond Sports National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Catcher of the Year, as decided by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and Diamond Sports. The announcement was covered on August 20, 2010 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association newspaper, Fastpitch Delivery.

The Diamond Sports Catcher of the Year award is presented annually to the top catcher from an NFCA member institution in each of the following divisions: NCAA (Divisions I, II and III), NAIA, NJCAA (Divisions I, II and III), Cal JC, NWAACC and high school.

Heiberger comes to Quinnipiac from Iowa Lakes Community College, where she led the Lakers to a third place national finish in 2010. As a sophomore, Heiberger led NJCAA Division II with 101 RBIs, and had 39 extra base hits and 53 stolen bases. In the 2010 season, Heiberger ranked in the top 20 nationally, with only four errors on 472 chances for a fielding percentage of .992. As a two-year letter winner at Iowa Lakes, she was named Defensive Player of the Year and received All-Region Catcher and All-Region Academic honors.

"In addition to the physical skills and attributes Ashley brings to our program that made her the top NJCAA D-II catcher in 2010, her mental toughness, leadership, work ethic, and great attitude will propel her to success at the NCAA D-I level," said Quinnipiac Head Coach Germaine Fairchild. "She is a player who loves being asked to come through for the team, an essential building block of any successful program."

In 2010, Heiberger and Christy Cabrera (West Sacramento, Calif.), another Quinnipiac transfer player from Iowa Lakes Community College, were named NFCA NJCAA Division II All-Americans.