ST. PAUL, Minn.- The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference announced their awards for the 2022 season on Monday. The University of Northwestern Softball team had seven student athletes recognized, and Eagles' Head Coach
Alicia du'Monceaux was named the conference Coach of the Year.
The Eagles had a pair of seniors,
Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) and
Telma Roesler (Hastings, Minn./Crown College), named First Team All-Conference.
Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) was the definition of a "dual threat" for the Eagles this season as she got it done in the pitching circle and at the plate. Carlson currently has 12 wins on the season as a pitcher and owns a 2.79 earned run average. Over her team leading 135.2 innings pitched this year Carlson struck out 72 batters. At the plate, Carlson was equally as effective leading the Eagles in batting average at .414. Carlson had a homerun, four doubles, four triples, and drove in 27 RBIs.
Telma Roesler (Hastings, Minn./Crown College) had a big season as well for UNW. Roesler was a fantastic defensive shortstop for the Eagles and was a threat at the plate. Roesler had a homerun along with five doubles and two triples. The senior led her team with 32 runs batted in.
A trio of first year players also received All-Conference recognition for the Eagles.
Grace Bentley (Omaha, Neb./Wheaton College),
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo), and
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) were named All-Conference Honorable Mentions. In her first year as an Eagle,
Grace Bentley (Omaha, Neb./Wheaton College) made an immediate impact in UNW's infield. Bentley hit .292, hit two homeruns, two triples, and three doubles. Bentley scored 17 runs and had 20 RBIs on the season. Iverson is another Eagle who made an immediate impact on the Eagles with her bat. In her first year of collegiate softball, the freshman hit .349 and had twelve extra base hits including two homeruns. Iverson was a run producer in the middle of the Eagle lineup, driving in 28 runs, second most on the team. Lane, another freshman, also had a strong season at the top of the order for UNW. Lane hit .323 and had four doubles while adding a triple. Lane scored 31 runs and racked up 23 RBIs.
Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake), also a freshman, was honored for excellent defense all season long by being named to the All-Defensive Team as an outfielder. Beer roamed centerfield also season for the Eagles and took away countless hits with her blazing speed.
Ally Ehnstrom (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) was named a UMAC Sportsmanship Award winner for 2022. Ehnstrom was a great teammate and competitor and embodies what it means to Compete With Purpose.
Coach
Alicia du'Monceaux was named the 2022 UMAC Coach of the Year after guiding the Eagles through a fantastic season. The Eagles are currently 23-13 and finished the UMAC regular season 17-4 which gave them a second place finish in the conference standings. The remarkable thing about what Coach du'Monceaux and her staff did this season was the amount of young players that were making impacts for the Eagles. In any given game, the Eagles had 6-8 players in their starting lineup that were in their first year with the team. Despite the youth, Coach du'Monceaux's team was able to qualify for the NCCAA North Central Region Championship game. The Eagles will host Hannibal-LaGrange in a best of three series starting on Wednesday. The winner of that series will qualify for the NCCAA National Tournament in Kansas City.
