Linfield College softball All-American Emilee Lepp is among 11 finalists for the Honda Division III Athlete of the Year Award.

The Honda Award will be presented June 27 at a press conference at Columbia University in New York City. The award is part of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program, which recognizes accomplishments of outstanding female student-athletes enrolled at NCAA-member colleges and universities around the country.

Lepp is coming off a remarkable junior season in which she led Linfield to the Division III national championship while setting two prestigious Division III offensive records and leading the nation in five statistical categories.

Lepp hit .497 with 13 doubles, three triples and NCAA records of 29 home runs and .537 home runs per game. She also led the nation in runs batted in (94), slugging percentage (1.089) and runs scored (74).

She started and caught all 54 games, piling up 291 putouts, 11 assists with only one error in recording a stellar .991 fielding percentage.

During Linfield's 11 postseason games, Lepp hit .500 with three doubles, one triple, two home runs, 12 RBI and nine stolen bases, helping the Wildcats outscore playoff opponents 99-9.

Lepp was recognized as the 2011 Northwest Conference Player of the Year, a NFCA first team all-West Region catcher as well as a NFCA first team All-American.

An exercise science major, the Wildcats’ 2011 most valuable player maintains a 3.33 grade point average.

Finalists for the DIII Honda Award are recognized not only for superior athletic skills, but also leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.

The American Honda Motor Company is donating $1,000 to Linfield women’s athletic fund in recognition her status as a finalist. If Lepp is selected as the award winner, Honda will increase its contribution to Linfield to $5,000.

The 2010-11 finalists for the Honda Division III Athlete of the Year Award are:

Emilee  Lepp, softball, Linfield College
Julie Barton, field hockey, Messiah College
Paige Caldwell, golf, Methodist University
Jaci Daigneault, basketball, Amherst College
Alison Jaeger, lacrosse, College of New Jersey
Kristin Lim, tennis, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges
Amelia McCall, volleyball, Emory University
Amanda Naeher, soccer, Messiah College
Holly Ozanich, track and field, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Wendy Pavlus, cross country, St. Lawrence University
Kendra Stern, swimming, Amherst College