May 2, 2000
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Sarah Putnam (Chesapeake, Va.) and Brian Zeller (Forest Hill, Md.), members of the women's softball and men's lacrosse teams, respectively, have been named student-athletes of the week by the Maryland Department of Athletics for the week of May 1-5.
Putnam, one of two seniors on the softball team, was named to the ACC All-Tournament team following the ACC Tournament Monday, May 1. The third baseman went 4-for-12 at the plate and had three RBI in leading the Terps to a third-place finish in the tournament. It marked their highest ACC tournament finish since Maryland and Florida State shared the title in 1997.
Putnam's play was instrumental in the Terps' wins over No. 5-seed Georgia Tech and No. 1-seed North Carolina. Against North Carolina on Sunday, Putnam drove in the Terps' first run in the sixth inning to tie the game. The run was the first of four Maryland would score that inning as it upset the Tar Heels, 4-3. The previous day, Putnam played solid defense as the No. 2-seeded Terps defeated the Yellow Jackets, 2-1.
Zeller, a senior co-captain midfielder, netted a season-high four goals in the No. 7 Terps' win over Yale, 12-9 on Friday, April 28. In his best performance of the season, Zeller recorded his 100th point as he scored his first goal of the game with nine seconds remaining in the first quarter. He scored the game-winning goal with 11 seconds on the clock in the third quarter to make the score 10-8. Zeller netted his final goal of the night early in the fourth to put the Terps up 11-8.
He has recorded 103 points during his career (68 goals and 35 assists). Zeller recorded his first multi-goal game of the season in the first round of the ACC Tournament the weekend of April 21-23. He netted two goals and dished out two assists in Maryland's win over then-No. 6 Duke, 7-6, as the Terps advanced to the championship game. Zeller has scored four of his 11 goals this season capitalizing on extra man opportunities. Additionally, he has tallied 15 assists.
This marks the first time Putnam and Zeller have received student-athlete of the week honors. Putnam is a criminology and criminal justice major, and Zeller is majoring in communications.
