DURANGO, Colo. — Fort Lewis College women's basketball player Abby Jackson and women's soccer player Christine Schmelzle received the Jan Wilson-Hetzler Outstanding Senior Female Athlete of the Year award at tonight's Skyhawk Awards Banquet.

Jackson, a 5-foot-4 guard from Memorial High School in Tulsa, Okla., led the FLC women's basketball team into the NCAA Division II playoffs each of her four years as a Skyhawk, including runner-up in 2010 and the Sweet Sixteen in 2009. The Skyhawks also won RMAC regular season championships during her first three years and the RMAC Shootout championship for the first time ever during her senior campaign.

“Abby has been a delight to watch play while on the court, and to see her leadership skills in action,” said Director of Athletics Kelly Higgins. “She has helped lead Skyhawk women's basketball to levels of excellence unseen of in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Her positive attitude is infectious as she helped put the Skyhawks on the map, and every team has benefited from her appearance on this campus. There is no doubt in my mind that she will succeed in her life after Fort Lewis College.”

Jackson earned Daktronics All-Central Region honors in 2011, a season that also saw her earn first team All-RMAC and preseason All-RMAC accolades. She was a second team All-RMAC pick in 2010 and received honorable mention all-conference in 2009. An outstanding student-athlete, she was a three-time RMAC All-Academic selection and a two-time D2 Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award recipient.

She is also FLC's career women's basketball leader in victories (117), assists (389) and three-point field goals (235).

Schmelzle, a 5-foot-9 senior goalkeeper from Coconino High School in Flagstaff, Ariz., helped the FLC women's soccer team to the NCAA playoffs three times during her career, including an Elite Eight appearance and the Central Region championship in 2010.

“It has been a pleasure to watch Cricket grow as a person, a student and athlete at Fort Lewis College,” said Higgins. “Her rise coincided directly with the rise of the women's soccer program, and that was no accident. She has taken the Skyhawk program to a new level leading them to the Elite Eight for the first time. We will miss this All-American student-athlete, but know that her presence will always be part of the program.”

Schmelzle was showered with postseason honors as a senior, earning second team All-Central Region nods from both Daktronics (chosen by sports information directors) and the NSCAA (chosen by coaches) and third team ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades. She was also the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year, first team All-RMAC, the RMAC Athlete of the Month for October, first team All-RMAC, first team All-RMAC Academic, preseason All-RMAC and a three-time RMAC Defensive Player of the Week performer as a senior.

In past years, Schmelzle earned second team All-RMAC honors as a junior, was chosen as the Defensive MVP of the 2009 RMAC playoffs, was a second team RMAC All-Academic pick in 2009, and was a two-time D2 Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award winner.

During her career, Schmelzle became FLC's career leaders in best goals against average (0.795 goals per game), best winning percentage (.790) and most victories as a goalkeeper (37).

The Jan Wilson-Hetzler Outstanding Senior Female Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to the most outstanding senior female athlete(s) at Fort Lewis College. It is named after Jan Wilson-Hetzler, who was women's tennis coach and exercise science instructor at Fort Lewis in the mid-1970s. She died of breast cancer in 1976, age 31. The Department of Athletics named the award after her the following year.

Past recipients of the Jan Wilson-Hetzler Award include:
• 2010 – Audrey George (basketball), Katie Mackey (basketball)
• 2009 – Erin Kerr (basketball)
• 2008 – Nicole Schwab (volleyball)
• 2007 – Emily Roser (cross country)
• 2006 – Amie Moulton (basketball)
• 2005 – Amy Mohr (basketball)
• 2004 – Brianne Lippoldt (cross country)
• 2003 – Blanca Garcia (basketball), Kate Hubert (softball)
• 2001 – Jenny Ruiter (volleyball)
• 2000 – Kate Kelly (soccer)
• 1999 – Hilary Flaming (cross country), Celeste King (basketball)
• 1998 – Jolynn Gee (basketball)
• 1997 – Jessica Copp (volleyball)
• 1996 – Chrissy Gravina (basketball)
• 1995 – Janene Caldwell (volleyball)
• 1994 – Dena duPont (volleyball)