Moon Township, Pa. – Sophomore Nicole Sleith (Smithton, Pa. / Yough) of the Robert Morris University softball team was selected as the Northeast Conference (NEC) Co-Pitcher of the Week as announced by the league office Monday.

Sleith claims her third weekly honor of the 2013 campaign and the 11th of her career, extending her own program record in that category.

Sleith led the RMU pitching staff in its NEC openers, helping the Colonials to a sweep of Mount St. Mary's, with one of her most dominating outings to date.

Sleith started out the conference season in style as she twirled her first collegiate no-hitter in the opener against the Mountaineers this past Friday. Sleith became just the fifth RMU pitcher to throw a no-hitter in school history. Her effort was the first (non-combined) no-hitter at RMU since 2003 although Sleith herself was part of a combined no-hitter last season.

Sleith faced just one over the minimum in the opening game while registering her second shutout of the season and the seventh of her career. She registered 12 strikeouts in the no-no, marking her second double-digit strikeout effort of the season and the sixth of her career.

Sleith's work was not yet done, though, as she came on in relief to earn her second win of the day in the nightcap. Sleith threw three innings of shutout relief in which she allowed just one hit, an infield single, while striking out an additional seven batters. Sleith's final strikeout was the most important as she got a K for the final out of the seventh inning to leave the bases loaded. For the week, Sleith threw 10 innings in which she allowed one hit and zero runs. She struck out 19 batters against three walks and zero hit batters.

Sleith's outings are one of the key reasons that RMU has allowed three runs or fewer in 11 consecutive games. That is the longest such stretch in RMU history since a streak that spanned the 1999-00 seasons.

Sleith, who has won Pitcher of the Week honors from the NEC in six of the last 12 weeks in which the league has given it, is one of six active Colonials who have collected a weekly award at some point in her career.

With a sweep of its opening NEC doubleheader in the past, the Colonials will play a non-conference doubleheader at home in the middle of this week. Robert Morris will host a pair of games against local rival Pittsburgh Wednesday, April 3, at 3:00 p.m.