Saints Sweep UMAC Softball All-Conference Major Awards
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced its 2021 Softball All-Conference Awards on Monday afternoon, as voted on by the UMAC's coaches.
The 2021 UMAC Regular Season Champion College of Saint Scholastica secured all four major awards following an outstanding season. Saints' star Olivia Howe took home both the Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year honors. Her teammate Grace Hadlich was named Rookie of the Year while Head Coach Rilee Dawson and her staff earned Coaching Staff of the Year accolades.
Howe was dominant for CSS both in the circle and at the plate, ranking in the top-five in nearly all UMAC hitting and pitching categories. She batted .545 for the season with a .950 slugging percentage and .611 on-base, all of which ranked in the top-two in the UMAC. The Scandia, Minn.-native also led the conference in hits (66), RBI (56) and home runs (8).
On the mound, she was just as effective, posting a 2.21 ERA in 136.2 innings and 16 wins. Howe ranked in the top-two among all UMAC competitors in innings pitched, wins, ERA, strikeouts (130) and saves (2). She becomes the first UMAC softball player since 2012 to win multiple major awards in a single season, matching Minnesota Morris' Molly Olson, whom earned UMAC Player and Rookie of the Year.
Hadlich earned the Rookie of the Year nod after an outstanding first season for the Saints. She batted .405, second on CSS behind Howe, and ended the season with a 22-game reached-base safely streak. The Mahtomedi, Minn.-native is the first Saint to be named Rookie of the Year since Toni Bishop in 2017 and the program's fifth-overall selection.
Both Howe and Hadlich were also named to the NFCA's All-Region team, earning first and second team honors, respectively.
With Howe and Hadlich to pace the Saints, Dawson's CSS team posted a 32-8 record, climbing as high as 17th in the national rankings. St. Scholastica went 15-1 in UMAC Regular Season competition to secure its 21st UMAC title in program history.
Dawson is now a two-time winner of the UMAC's Coach of the Year honors, last winning in 2016. The Saints had a UMAC-best six First Team All-Conference recipients.
Martin Luther won the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represents sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Each team also had one representative named to the individual sportsmanship award list.
Player of the Year - Olivia Howe, St. Scholastica
Pitcher of the Year - Olivia Howe, St. Scholastica
Rookie of the Year - Grace Hadlich, St. Scholastica
Coach of the Year - Rilee Dawson, St. Scholastica
First Team UMAC All-Conference
| Name |
Yr. |
School |
| Nicole Anders |
Sr. |
St. Scholastica |
| Toni Bishop |
Sr. |
St. Scholastica |
| Briggs Carlson |
Jr. |
Northwestern |
| Aislind Dail |
Fy. |
St. Scholastica |
| Grace Hadlich |
Fy. |
St. Scholastica |
| Kaylee Harnack |
So. |
Northland |
| Lisa Hoffer |
So. |
Martin Luther |
| Olivia Howe |
Jr. |
St. Scholastica |
| Zoe Kinakin |
Jr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
| Tayler Kraemer |
So. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
| Lydia Mann |
Sr. |
Minnesota Morris |
| Tori Nichols-Kraft |
Fy. |
Minnesota Morris |
| Jenna Reyes |
Fy. |
Northland |
| Ellie Ronning |
Sr. |
Northwestern |
| Haley Rosenthal |
So. |
St. Scholastica |
UMAC All-Conference Honorable Mention
| Name |
Yr. |
School |
| Olivia Bancroft-Hart |
Sr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
| Brett Burger |
Sr. |
Martin Luther |
| Ana Christofferson |
Fy. |
Bethany Lutheran |
| Cassidy Cunningham |
Jr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
| Tiffany Kirk |
Jr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
| Alyssa Kosta |
Sr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
| Kaela Kraemer |
Jr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
| Zoe Roberts |
Sr. |
Crown |
| Courtney Schmidt |
Sr. |
Northwestern |
| Laryssa Vik |
Sr. |
Crown |
UMAC All-Defensive Team
| Name |
Yr. |
School |
Position |
| Tayler Kraemer |
So. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Pitcher |
| Laryssa Vik |
Sr. |
Crown |
Catcher |
| Ellie Ronning |
Sr. |
Northwestern |
First Base |
| Lisa Hoffer |
So. |
Martin Luther |
Second Base |
| Josie Fourre |
Sr. |
St. Scholastica |
Third Base |
| Jenna Wahl |
Fy. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Short Stop |
| Eden Ambrose |
Sr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Outfield |
| Nicole Anders |
Sr. |
St. Scholastica |
Outfield |
| Olivia Bancroft-Hart |
Sr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Outfield |
| Morgan Mathews |
Sr. |
Minnesota Morris |
Outfield |
| Olivia Howe |
Jr. |
St. Scholastica |
Utility |
UMAC Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award - Martin Luther
Bethany Lutheran – Hannah Dosch
Crown – Laryssa Vik
Martin Luther – Brett Burger
Minnesota Morris – Carly Mahoney
North Central – Megan Paulsen
Northland – Cameron Charleston
Northwestern – Ellie Ronning
St. Scholastica – Kacie Bjerk
Wisconsin-Superior – Olivia Bancroft-Hart