USA Adds Another Sooner To Elite Team

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma senior pitcher Kami Keiter was named to the 2004 USA Softball Elite Team on Wednesday afternoon. Keiter will join fellow Sooners Norrelle Dickson and Heather Scaglione in competition for the United States at the First World University Games for Softball from Oct. 26-31. The trio will travel to Plant City, Fla. for the games that will be held simultaneously at Plant City Stadium and the Randy L. Larson Softball Fourplex.

“What an honor,” said an animated Keiter. “I am very excited about the opportunity. It will be an honor to compete for the USA and alongside the best athletes in collegiate softball.”

Keiter and company are among the 16 collegiate players named to the team. OU and Arizona have the second most athletes (3) represented on the squad behind UCLA, which has five players. Scaglione was named to the team on Sept. 23, while Dickson has been a member for the past two summers.

Keiter liked the idea of playing with her OU teammates, “It takes away some of the nerves and increases my comfort level. It also shows the talent we have from top to bottom on this team. It's an honor for everyone involved with the program and it's also a testament to the hard work of everyone involved with OU softball.”

It marks the first time in OU history that three Sooners have been on the squad, which is one step shy of the Olympic/National Team.

“It is a well deserved recognition for Kami,” said OU head coach Patty Gasso. “We're extremely proud of all three players. They are outstanding representatives of this team and university. It is a great reflection of our program and I know they will not only learn a lot from the competition, but will contribute greatly.”

The 2004 Elite Team will be led by head coach Jay Miller (Born in Aurora, IL; Resides in Starkville, MS/ head coach at Mississippi State) and assisted by Michelle Gromacki (Huntington Beach, CA/ head coach at Cal State Fullerton) and Kirk Walker (Keizer, OR/ head coach at Oregon State).

A field of 10 countries including Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Guatemala, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Uganda, and the USA will compete in the five day event. The championship will be jointly organized by the United States Collegiate Sports Council and the International Softball Federation and will be ran in accordance with the most recent technical regulations of FISU and the International Softball Federation (ISF).

The Oklahoma softball team will play its final fall home game on Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. against Northern. The game time is subject to change.

2004 USA SOFTBALL ELITE TEAM
Player	Hometown	College
Monica Abbott	Salina, Calif.	Tennessee
Caitlin Benyi	Scottsdale, Ariz.	UCLA
Sara Dean	Valencia, Calif.	Auburn
Norrelle Dickson	Orange, Calf.	Oklahoma
Lisa Dodd	San Diego, Calif.	UCLA
Andrea Duran	Selma, Calif.	UCLA
Kristie Fox	San Diego, Calif.	Arizona
Vicky Galindo	Union City, Calif.	Cal
Amy Harre	Nashville, Ill.	S. Illinois
Alicia Hollowell	Suisun, Calif.	Arizona
Kami Keiter	Arvada, Colo.	Oklahoma
Jodie Legaspi	Garden Grove, Calif.	UCLA
Caitlin Lowe	Tustin, Calif.	Arizona
Catalina Morris	Sonoita, Ariz.	Stanford
Heather Scaglione	San Diego, Calif.	Oklahoma
Emily Zaplatosch	Scottsdale, Ariz.	UCLA

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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