First-year Iowa shortstop Megan Blank was named one of the Big Ten’s Co-Freshmen of the Week, the league announced on Monday. She shared the honor with Michigan pitcher Sara Driesenga.

Blank is the first Hawkeye to ever win a Freshman of the Week award.

The Culver City, Calif., native led off and batted a team-best .583 (7-for-12) during five games at the Getterman Classic in Texas over the weekend. She and was named to the all-tournament team for her trouble.

She started all five games, reached base 69 percent of the time, and was 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts — including a swipe of third against Texas-Arlington that allowed her to score the only run in a 1-0 Hawkeye win on Feb. 11.

Blank also scored 6 runs, walked four times — all against Wichita State — and reached base at least twice in four of Iowa’s five games.

The only blemish on Blank’s weekend was a fielding error against Texas-Arlington; she finished the tournament with 7 putouts in 8 attempts.

Blank and the Hawkeyes (3-2) will travel to Arizona on Friday to face Illinois State in the Littlewood Classic. Iowa will also play single games against Arizona State and Iowa State and will take on Central Michigan twice in the three-day tournament in Tempe.

— by Seth Roberts