Monroe Lady Mustang sophomore catcher Krystle Gaud has been named the Region XV Softball Player-of-the-Year. A superlative defensive player and team leader, the right-handed-hitting Gaud hit .380 for Monroe during the regular season.

"Quite simply, Krystle in the best catcher I have seen in a long, long time," remarked Lady Mustang Head Coach Tenesha Seymour. "To begin with, she has such a powerful arm that opposing teams have stopped trying to steal bases. Also, she is our team leader on the field."

This the first time a Monroe player has won the award in softball, though in the past Monroe players have won it in basketball and soccer. In fact, this season Garfield Johns and Fantasia Goodwin were named Region XV Players-of-the-Year in basketball.

Before coming to Monroe, Gaud attended high school at the Bronx Leadership Academy. Currently, the Lady Mustangs are 11-6 and ranked as the #3 seed in this week’s Region XV tournament.