Published: May 03, 2008 01:47 am      

FSU’s Childers, Black claim Colebank Awards

FAIRMONT — Fairmont State softball player Alyssa Childers and football player Vince Black will be presented with the Jasper H. Colebank Award tonight at the 46th annual Fairmont State Athletic Association (FSAA) Scholarship Banquet.

First-year West Virginia University head football coach Bill Stewart, a Fairmont State graduate, will be the featured speaker at this year's banquet, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the school's Falcon Center.

The Colebank Award is given annually to the senior student-athlete who has done the most to promote the best interest of athletics at Fairmont State during their careers. Student-athletes are nominated by coaches and the winners are selected by a vote of head coaches and athletic department administrators.

Childers, who is from Johnstown, Ohio, has been a four-year standout in softball for Fairmont State. The biology major, who primarily served as a pitcher for FSU during her career, compiled some staggering numbers for the Falcons.

As of the end of the 2008 regular season, Childers had compiled a career record of 47-20, including a 29-11 mark the past two years. She was 18-8 for the Falcons this spring during the regular season.

She holds FSU school records for career ERA (1.92), career strikeouts (426), career wins (47), career appearances (104), career complete games (40), career shutouts (15), career innings pitched (478.1) and career low opponent's batting average (.212). She also ranks second in school history in career strikeouts per seven innings (6.23).

In addition, Childers holds single-season school records for wins (18), most appearances (29), complete games (23), most shutouts (10) and most innings pitched (168.2). She also owns the top three single-season positions for lowest opponent's batting average (.181 in 2007, .195 in 2006 and .202 in 2008). She also ranks second in school history in single-season ERA (1.49 in 2008).

Childers was honored three times this spring as the West Virginia Conference's pitcher of the week. Last season she was a second-team all-league selection. In addition, she was selected second-team All-District last season by ESPN The Magazine.

Black, who is from Marietta, Ohio, was also a four-year standout for FSU in football. The 6-2, 245-pound inside linebacker was the West Virginia Conference's Defensive Player of the Year this past fall when he led the Falcons in tackles with 103. He also finished among the national leaders in tackles for losses, solo tackles and forced fumbles. He had 28 tackles for losses, which led the WVC, 67 solo stops and forced four fumbles.

He is only the third player in FSU history to earn league player of the year honors on the defensive side of the football.

In addition, Black recorded five sacks, intercepted four passes and recovered a pair of fumbles. He was also named the league's defensive player of the week four times in 2007.

Black was on two first-team All-Northeast Region squads last fall and garnered All-America honors from D2Football.com.

He finished his FSU career 14th in school history in total tackles with 226, ninth in career solo tackles with 127 and third in career tackles for losses with 39. He's also second in school history in single-season tackles for losses (28) and ninth in school history in single-season solo tackles (67).

Black is majoring in environmental and safety engineering at FSU.

In addition to the Colebank and Easton K. Feaster Awards, the FSAA will also present its annual Letterman of Distinction Award and the L.O. Bickel Service Award at this evening's banquet.