Softball

Five NESCAC Softball Student-Athletes Named NFCA All-Americans

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fifty-five student-athletes from 40 different schools have been voted to one of three 2026 NFCA Division III All-America teams, the Association revealed. The honorees include five players from the NESCAC - Heaven Oliva (Tufts - 1st Team), Anika Ewert (Bowdoin - 2nd Team), Paige Murphy (Tufts - 2nd Team), Kristyn Carroll (Middlebury - 3rd Team), and Sadie Leonard (Williams - 3rd Team).

This is the third time in the four years since the renaming of the first-team Utility/Pitcher award to honor late NFCA Hall of Famer and pioneer of women’s sports Joan Joyce, that Trine’s Debbie Hill has been the recipient. Last season, she was the second-team Utility/Pitcher, with Saint Mary’s Makayla Steffes earning the first-team nod.

The NFCA All-America teams are voted on by the Association’s All-America Committees. In Division III, the committee is comprised of one member head coach from each of the NCAA’s 10 regions. All student-athletes who were nominated by a member head coach and voted to the first, second or third team All-Region squads were eligible for All-America consideration.

Oliva was named to the first team at catcher and is the first Tufts player selected as a first-team All-American since 2023. Her first team award recognizes Oliva one of the top two catchers in the nation. In 43 games, she hit .403 with a team-high 12 home runs and 46 runs batted in. The 12 home runs are tied for 15th in Division III. Her 106 total bases, which include 12 doubles, are a top-40 national mark. Oliva ranked even better defensively, throwing out 15 would-be base stealers, which is the fourth-best total in the nation.

Murphy, one of six rookies among the 55 All-Americans, is on the second team and becomes the Jumbos' first first-year player to earn All-American since 2023. Murphy is one of three shortstops on the first two All-American teams. The NESCAC Rookie of the Year, led the Jumbos with a .460 batting average and 17 doubles, while also producing five home runs, 38 runs scored, and 35 RBI in the 43 games. Her 69 hits are a top 25 national mark, and she also accumulated more than 100 total bases (101). At shortstop, Murphy's 129 assists are the fourth-most in the nation.

Tufts is one of just five teams nationally to have multiple players on the top two NFCA All-American teams, joining Virginia Wesleyan, Texas Lutheran, Linfield, and Trine. The Jumbos were NESCAC Semifinalists and hosted an NCAA Regional while finishing the season 

Ewert, who earns her third straight All-America distinction, led all of Division III in batting this spring, posting a .625 batting average with a .682 on-base percentage and 44 stolen bases in 47 attempts. She graduates holding Bowdoin's career records in hits (223), stolen bases (135), runs (172), batting average (.555), and on-base percentage (.602) while striking out just three times in her entire career. Ewert and the Polar Bears earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament field for the first time since 2010 and finished the year with a 27-11 record.

Carroll is the second Middlebury Panther in program history to earn All-America honors. The NESCAC Player of the Year re-wrote the Middlebury record books in her final season, resetting single-season marks for at-bats (158), hits (79), and runs scored (53). Carroll, who was the only player to start all 45 contests, led the squad with a .500 batting average, 11 triples, a .537 on-base percentage, and 35 stolen bases. The outfielder closed her Middlebury career with a .484 batting average, 242 hits, 182 runs scored, 100 stolen bases, and 79 walks. Each of those marks is the best in the school's history. Carroll helped Middlebury win the NESCAC Softball title for the second time in school history and tallied the most wins of the team in program history in a single season with 35. 

For the fourth time in their collegiate career, Leonard has earned All-America honors. Leonard garnered NFCA All-American First Team laurels in 2024 and 2025 and Second Team recognition in 2023. The NESCAC Pitcher of the Year ranked first in the conference in wins (15), strikeouts (231), complete games (14), shutouts (5), and innings pitched (135.2). They rank first in the nation among Division III pitchers in strikeouts per seven innings (11.9) and second in total strikeouts. Leonard helped Williams finish as the NESCAC Runner-Up this season and post a 24-17 record.