LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Swarthmore College’s Lilly Goldberg has been named the 2025 NFCA Division III Freshman of the Year, the Association announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Goldberg, a first-team NFCA All-Region pitcher, helped lead the Garnet to a program-record 33 wins this season, their second Centennial Conference tournament championship in the past three years, and a No. 22 ranking in the penultimate NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll.
In her first year at Swarthmore, the Pittsford, N.Y. product went 18-6 in the circle with a 1.18 earned-run average and 0.89 WHIP across 28 appearances. Goldberg pitched 14 complete games, recorded seven shutouts and allowed just 26 earned runs in 154.2 innings.
She struck out 6.5 more hitters (156) than she walked (24), limited batters to 5.16 hits per game, and held opponents to a .198 average. Goldberg pitched Swarthmore past 16th-ranked Gettysburg in the Centennial Conference tournament championship on May 7, and tossed a five-hitter in a victory over Messiah in their NCAA regional opener on May 15.
Earlier this month, Goldberg was named the 2025 Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year and also earned first team All-Centennial honors.
Wesleyan (Conn.) pitcher Jacelyn Lees (Region I), Massachusetts Institute of Technology outfielder Delaney Benevides (Region II), Nazareth third baseman Kaijah Alexander (Region III), Lebanon Valley utility-pitcher Holly Grube (Region IV), Virginia Wesleyan first baseman Morgan Tucker (Region VI), Trine second baseman Whitney Duell (Region VII), Augustana (Ill.) first baseman Aubrey Gradin (Region VIII), Loras utility-pitcher Kaili Henning (Region IX) and Hardin-Simmons pitcher Gabby Montanez (Region X) were the other nine regional finalists.
Half of the finalists helped lead their team to the NCAA regionals and two — Duell and Tucker — will be playing for their schools in the Division III World Series later this week. All 10 finalists earned NFCA All-Region honors this season.
Trine has had honorees all three seasons that finalists have been announced. Infielder Tyra Marcum represented the Thunder last year, while utility-pitcher Debbie Hill was a finalist and the winner in 2023.
Rochester and Williams had finalists in both 2023 and 2024, while Virginia Wesleyan previously had a finalist in 2023, though the Marlins have won the award twice (pitcher Kandis Kresinske in 2016 and pitcher Hanna Hull in 2017) before regional winners started being revealed.
Christopher Newport is the other school to collect the honor twice (third baseman Kaitlyn Hasty in 2019 and pitcher Jamie Martin in 2022). Other honorees include Linfield pitcher Tyler McNeley last season, Hill in 2023, Husson designated player Kenzie Dore in 2021 and UT Tyler catcher Ashley Perez in 2018. No award was given in 2020.
The award annually honors the outstanding athletic achievement of freshmen in NCAA Division III. The regional finalists and the winner are chosen by the NFCA All-America Committee, which includes one representative for each of the 10 regions. To be eligible, student-athletes must come from an NFCA member institution.
NFCA Division III National Freshman of the Year winners
2025 – Lilly Goldberg, Pitcher, Swarthmore
2024 – Tyler McNeley, Pitcher, Linfield
2023 – Debbie Hill, Utility/Pitcher, Trine
2022 – Jamie Martin, P, Christopher Newport
2021 – Kenzie Dore, DP, Husson
2020 – (no award)
2019 – Kaitlyn Hasty, 3B, Christopher Newport
2018 – Ashley Perez, C, UT Tyler
2017 – Hanna Hull, P, Virginia Wesleyan
2016 – Kandis Kresinske, P, Virginia Wesleyan
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