LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Eight finalists, one from each of the NCAA's eight regions, have been selected by the Association's Division II All-America Committee for the 2024 TUCCI/NFCA Division II Freshman of the Year award.
East Stroudburg's Sarah Davenport (Atlantic), Augustana's Desi Cuevas (Central), College of Saint Rose's Kelsey Higgins (East), Ferris State's Kozlowski (Midwest), Nova Southeastern's Maliyah Lawson (South), UT Tyler's Makayla Garcia (South Central), North Greenville's Emily Blackwell (Southeast) and Western Washington's Alli Kimball (West) are now in the running for the award, which will be announced on Tuesday, May 21.
Higgins led the NE10 in home runs this spring while ranking third in runs scored, fifth in triples, fifth in RBI and fifth in batting average. The outfielder was tied for 11th nationally among freshman for homers and was voted by the NE10 coaches as the league's Rookie of the Year.
Five of the eight finalists were voted NFCA First- or Second-Team All-Region. Davenport was voted the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's East Division Player and Freshman of the Year with Cuevas, Higgins, Kozlowski, Lawson, Garcia and Blackwell winning their league's freshman or rookie honors.
Six of the finalists – Davenport, Higgins, Kozlowski, Garcia, Blackwell and Kimball - are representing their institutions for the first time, while it is the third nod for Augustana and second for Nova Southeastern.
Created in 2015, the award honors the outstanding athletic achievement among freshman softball student-athletes throughout NCAA Division II. To be eligible, student-athletes must come from a NFCA member institution.
- Release Courtsey National Fastpitch Coaches Association -
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
