LAFAYETTE, La. – Ragin’ Cajuns head football coach Mark Hudspeth was named the Outstanding College Coach for the state of Louisiana, while softball All-American Christi Orgeron was recognized as the Outstanding Female Amateur from New Orleans, as part of the annual Allstate Sugar Bowl Greater New Orleans Awards, which were announced on Tuesday.
The two honorees will be recognized at a banquet on Saturday, August 4 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The awards are based on achievements for the 2011-12 academic year, which runs from July-June.
In his first season at UL, Hudspeth flipped the script in 2011, improving UL’s win total from 3-9 in 2010 to 9-4 last season including a thrilling New Orleans Bowl victory over San Diego State. The Cajuns made their first bowl game in 41 years and tied a school record with nine wins, including a perfect 5-0 mark at home.
Cajun Nation helped UL set a school and Sun Belt attendance record with an average of 29,171 per game, leading the nation with an increased attendance of 11,788 per contest.
"It is an honor to be recognized by the Sugar Bowl with this award,” Hudspeth said. “It is the culmination of a year of hard work by the coaches, players and staff at the University of Louisiana and I look forward to working together again this year to take the program to even greater accomplishments."
Orgeron had another impressive year for the Ragin’ Cajuns softball team, who finished the season with a 53-6 record and a season-high ranking of No. 5 in the country. The New Orleans native was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and was a finalist for both the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Orgeron was selected to the Team USA for the second consecutive season and was recognized as the 2011-12 Sun Belt Conference Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
The Mt. Carmel product led the nation in RBI in back-to-back season with 94 and finished her career sixth on the NCAA all-time list with 288 runs driven in.  Orgeron tied NCAA records with six grand slams in 2012 and nine in her career, while ranking fourth nationally in runs scored (66) and seventh in home runs (22).

“I would like to thank the Sugar Bowl for selecting me as the Female Athlete of New Orleans,” Orgeron mentioned. “The honor is a tribute to my coaches, teammates and all the Cajun fans that have supported me throughout my journey. This is special recognition and I am excited to represent UL with such a great honor.”

–Ragin’ Cajuns–

—

Cory Weigel
Sports Information Assistant
University of Louisiana

Cox Communications Athletics Center
201 Reinhardt Drive
Lafayette, LA   70506

Office: (337) 482-6329
Cell: (317) 658-2898
E-mail: cnw6247@louisiana.edu  
www.ragincajuns.com