North Carolina Central University

ATHLETICS

    DURHAM, NC / May 1998 --  Senior shortstop Michelle Harrison, a native of Salem, VA, has ended her playing career at North Carolina Central University in top fashion.
    On Saturday, April 25, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association announced Harrison as the 1998 CIAA Softball Player of the Year.  The next day (Sunday, April 26), Harrison and fellow Lady Eagle teammates were crowned 1998 CIAA Champions after sweeping Virginia State, 11-2 and 10-1, in the finals.
    "I was happy about being named Player of the Year, but I was more excited about winning the CIAA championship,"  Harrison said.  "I have a lot of individual awards and honors, but people will not remember that.  They will remember the team as conference champions."
    "I have put a lot into sports at NCCU and I had never even been to a championship," Harrison said.  "To win the conference championship at the end of my college career ... it means a lot to me."
    Harrison went 4-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and four runs scored in the two-game sweep of Virginia State.  During the five-game tournament run, Harrison hit 12-for-16 with 11 RBI and 6 runs scored.
    "I knew that if we were going to beat Virginia State, we had to hit the ball," Harrison said.  "Every time I was up to bat, I just concentrated on getting on base ... any way I could."
    Harrison, who was also named First Team All-CIAA, led the 1998 Lady Eagles in hitting (36-for-64 / .563), doubles (5), home runs (4), runs batted in (35), and stolen bases (14-for-14).
    Boasting a career batting average of .537 (145-for-270), Harrison was also selected Second Team All-CIAA in 1997, and First Team All-CIAA in 1996.
    TWO SPORT ATHLETE
    Harrison also shined as a four-year member of the Lady Eagle basketball team (1993-97), earning First Team All-CIAA and Second Team BCSIDA All-America honors in 1996.  She is currently fourth on the NCAA Division II all-time list with 382 career steals.
    The hardwood stand-out finished her NCCU basketball career with 1,448 points (14.3 ppg), 512 rebounds (5.1 rpg), 382 steals (3.8 spg), and 303 assists (3.0 apg).
    "My sports career at NCCU has had its ups and downs, but for the most part, it has been a rewarding experience," Harrison said.  "Playing sports teaches many skills needed to succeed in life after college."
    Life after college for Harrison begins on May 9 -- graduation day.  A Family Relations and Child Development major with an overall grade point average of 3.305, after receiving her undergraduate degree Harrison plans on returning to NCCU to attend graduate school.
    On May 10, however, Harrison will take a shot at continuing her playing career when she paticipates in a try-out for the Durham Dragons, a professional fast-pitch softball team.