Sept. 24, 2002

University of Missouri All-America senior first baseman/catcher Melanie Fisher (St. Louis, Mo. / Principia HS / Southwest Missouri State) and senior outfielder Sara Vassmer (Excelsior Springs, Mo. / Excelsior Springs HS) have been selected to participate in the USA Softball Women's National Team Camp, tomorrow through Sunday (Sept. 26-29) at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. USA Softball will select a core group of athletes to return to a National Team Camp in June 2003.

The pair joins 50 other elite-level softball players for the camp, whose roster is a combination of 17 players from the 2002 Open Tryouts, 16 members of the 2002 Women's World Team, 14 members of the 2002 Elite Team and five at-large invitees.

Fisher, who doubles as a forward with junior eligibility on the Tigers' women's basketball team, was named to the Midwest All-Region Softball team last season and also earned recognition as the Big 12 Conference's top designated player. She recorded a hit in 23 of the 33 games in 2002 and recorded two or more hits in eight of those contests. Despite playing in just over half of the Tiger's games due to her duties as a starter on the MU women's basketball team, Fisher ranked second on the Tiger squad in home runs (4) and batting average (.344).

Vassmer led the Tigers in stolen bases last season, swiping 20 bases on the year. She was also second on the team in hits with 64 and third in batting average (.337). She recorded two or more hits in sixteen games last season and had three hits in three games. She was the everyday left fielder for the Tigers and was third on the team in fielding percentage (.973). In 2001, Vassmer was selected to the Academic All-Big 12 first team.

USA Softball Women's National Teams have been among the most dominating of any sports team in history. The USA's ability to bring home the gold in World Championships, the Pan American Games and the Olympics is unchallenged, with a total of fourteen.

The USA Softball Women's National Team won the first Olympic gold medal in the sport's history during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA, and defended its gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. The USA Softball Women's National Team, which has won five consecutive World Championships, the past four consecutive Pan Am Games and the past two Olympic gold medals, is the undisputed No. 1 team in the world.