Courtesy of Matt McLagan, Caldwell SID

CALDWELL, N.J. - Six student-athletes will be joining the Caldwell College softball team for the 2011-2012 academic year, head coach Dean Johnson announced. The class includes Alyssa Calderon (Fontana, CA/Etiwanda), Megan Fryday (San Marcos, CA/Mission Hills), Briana Gaspich (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial), Kristen Knorr (Monroeville, NJ/Delsea Regional), Hanna Walkinshaw (Aptos, CA/Aptos) and Sara Zambelli (West Milford, NJ/West Milford).

"We are very excited to add such a strong group to our program next year," said Johnson, who was the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and ECAC Coach of the Year in 2010. "Their athleticism is outstanding, which allows each of them to play multiple positions. These players bring the qualities of a student-athlete that we are accustomed to at Caldwell, and we look forward to welcoming them to the program next fall."

Calderon is a catcher/first baseman who has helped Etiwanda High School qualify for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section tournament the past three years. Prior to beginning her fourth year on the varsity this spring, Calderon earned  all-league second team honors as a sophomore and received all-league honorable mention as a junior. She plays for the Strike Force Gold summer team.

Fryday is a teammate of Calderon on the Strike Force Gold, which is coached by Gabe Guerra, father of former Cougar standout Danielle Guerra. A shortstop for Mission Hills High School, Fryday made second team All-league and was her team's Most Valuable Player as a junior. She also plays volleyball for Mission Hills, earning All-league honors as an outside hitter this past fall.

Gaspich had an outstanding junior season at Brick Memorial High School, hitting 14 home runs to break the Shore Conference record for homers in a season. Her efforts earned her a spot on the Star-Ledger All-State third team, as well as the All-Group 4 and All-Shore first teams. Gaspich is a member of the Mystics Gold summer team. Also an accomplished tennis player, she will play for the Cougar women's tennis team this fall.

Knorr joined Gaspich on the All-State third team last season after leading Delsea Regional High School to its second straight South Jersey Group 3 championship. A first team All-Group 3 and All-South Jersey honoree, Knorr already has 100 career hits, becoming the first player in Delsea history to achieve the milestone. The standout catcher, who also plays at third and in the outfield, plays her summer ball for the Jersey Outlaws Gold.

Walkingshaw, the lone pitcher in this year's class, helped her Aptos High School team take second place in the league in 2009. She plays for the San Jose Strikkers Gold in the summer. In addition to softball, Walkinshaw also is a member of the volleyball at Aptos that went undefeated en route to a league championship in 2010.

Zambelli is a three-time All-Passaic County and All-conference third baseman from West Milford High School who was named to the Star-Ledger All-State second team as a junior. Also an All-Group 3 first team selection last year, Zambelli helped West Milford capture the Passaic County Tournament for the sixth time in the last nine years. Her summer team is the West Milford Xtreme.

The Cougar softball team finished the 2010 season 42-16, tied for the CACC regular-season title and advanced to the NCAA East Region Tournament for the sixth time in the last seven years.