LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ten finalists, one from each of the NCAA’s 10 regions, have been selected by the Association’s Division III All-America Committee for the 2024 Tucci/NFCA Division III Freshman of the Year award.
Williams College’s Katie Blanch (Region I), Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Riley O’Brien (Region II), the University of Rochester’s Riley Laygo (Region III), Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Grace Lorson (Region IV), Eastern University’s Danika Barthol (Region V), Emory University’s Ellie Zerr (Region VI), Trine University’s Tyra Marcum (Region VII), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Morgan Harwood (Region VIII), Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota’s Makayla Steffes (Region IX) and Linfield University’s Tyler McNeley (Region X) are the 10.
Eight of the 10 helped lead their schools to an NCAA tournament berth, and three — Blanch, Marcum and McNeley — are on squads that advanced to the super regionals later this week. All 10 earned NFCA All-Region honors this season.
Utility/pitchers Blanch and Steffes, and pitchers Barthol, Harwood and McNeley were all named either Rookie or Newcomer of the Year in their conference, while outfielder Laygo was the Liberty League Player of the Year, Barthol also won Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Pitcher of the Year and Harwood was also Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year.
Rochester has had a Freshman of the Year finalist in each of the past three seasons. Pitcher Molly Broccolo garnered recognition last year, and shortstop Ally Kim represented the Yellowjackets in 2022.
Williams and Trine have had finalists two straight seasons. Pitcher Sadie Leonard represented the Ephs in 2023, while Trine utility/pitcher Debbie Hill was not only a finalist, but also the national honoree.
The winner of the 2024 Tucci/NFCA Division III Freshman of the Year award will be announced on May 28. Christopher Newport has collected the honor twice (pitcher Jamie Martin in 2022 and third baseman Kaitlyn Hasty in 2019), as has Virginia Wesleyan (pitcher Kandis Kresinske in 2016 and pitcher Hanna Hull in 2017). Other honorees include UT Tyler catcher Ashley Perez in 2018 and Husson designated player Kenzie Dore in 2021. 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.
Utility/Pitcher
Williams
Second Base
WPI
Outfield
Rochester
Outfield
Penn College
Pitcher
Eastern
DP or Utility/Non-Pitcher
Emory
DP or Utility/Non-Pitcher
Trine
Pitcher
Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Utility/Pitcher
Saint Mary's (Minn.)
Pitcher
Linfield
Tucci/NFCA Division III National Freshman of the Year winners
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
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded Tucci/NFCA Freshman of the Year Awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to a comprehensive drills database, to in-person events and National Convention.
Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining nearly 6,700 coaches today!
