Cunningham highlights BU selections on all-NSAA teams
Junior pitcher/designated player/outfielder Katie Cunningham headlined the 2024 all-North Star Athletic Association softball teams as announced today in conjunction with the 2024 NSAA Softball Tournament. Cunningham was named both the NSAA Player of the Year and NSAA Pitcher of the Year. Five Bruins were named to the first team, while two garnered second-team honors, and another three were named to the NSAA Gold Glove Team. In addition, Michala Cimino was named the NSAA Coach of the Year for the fifth time in her career.
DICKINSON, N.D. -- Junior pitcher/designated player/outfielder Katie Cunningham headlined the 2024 all-North Star Athletic Association softball teams as announced today in conjunction with the 2024 NSAA Softball Tournament. Cunningham was named both the NSAA Player of the Year and NSAA Pitcher of the Year. Five Bruins were named to the first team, while two garnered second-team honors, and another three were named to the NSAA Gold Glove Team. In addition, Michala Cimino was named the NSAA Coach of the Year for the fifth time in her BU career.
Bruins named to the first team included Cunningham, pitcher Savannah Gunn, catcher Atiana Rodriguez, second baseman Liana McMurtry, and outfielder Alexa Sidel. Second-team selections included third baseman Madison Machacek and pitcher Cory Carrillo.
Gold Glove honorees included Gunn, Rodriguez, and outfielder Myla Beckstrom.
Bellevue's Champion of Character representative was senior catcher Lexi Blankenfeld.
Cunningham, a four-time NSAA Pitcher of the Week and two-time NSAA Player of the Week this season, led the league in wins (16), strikeouts (111), and ERA (1.78). She is currently batting .288 with five doubles and four home runs. Cunningham leads the team with 29 RBIs.
Gunn ranks second in the conference with a 2.70 ERA and third with 72 strikeouts and 11 wins. Gunn has an 11-5 record with one save. Defensively, Gunn does not have a fielding error on the season in 47 chances. She earned NSAA Pitcher of the Week twice this season.
Rodriguez leads the Bruins with a .368 batting average. She is second on the team with nine doubles and leads the NSAA with four triples. Rodriguez was named the NSAA Player of the Week on Apr. 22.
McMurtry, a first-team selection in 2023, is batting .295 on the season with nine doubles and 18 RBIs.
Sidel leads the NSAA with nine home runs. She is currently batting .321 with four doubles, one triple, and 25 RBIs.
Machacek is batting .313 with 10 doubles, four home runs and 24 RBIs.
Carrillo set a school single-season record this season with seven saves, which leads the league. She also has a league-leading 9.84 strikeouts/7 IP, with 52 strikeouts in 37 innings.
Beckstrom was a mainstay in the Bruin outfield, producing 47 putouts, one assist, and no errors on the season.
The Bruins are the top seed in the NSAA Tournament and received a first-round bye in the seven-team double-elimination format. Bellevue will meet the winner of No. 4 Mayville State versus No. 5 Dakota State at 1 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, May 3, at Sanford Sports Complex in Dickinson, N.D.
| 2024 North Star Athletic Association Softball All-Conference/Postseason Awards | ||||
| First Team All-Conference | ||||
| Position | Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| P | Katie Cunningham | Bellevue (Neb.) | Junior | Bellevue, Neb. |
| P | Savannah Gunn | Bellevue (Neb.) | Senior | Forney, Texas |
| P | Maddy Zander | Valley City State (N.D.) | Junior | Bismarck, N.D. |
| C | Sierra Crocker | Valley City State (N.D.) | Senior | Napa, Calif. |
| C | Atiana Rodriguez | Bellevue (Neb.) | Sophomore | Bellevue, Neb. |
| INF | Megan Elliott | Mayville State (N.D.) | Graduate St. | Simi Valley, Calif. |
| INF | Lindsey Tulla | Mayville State (N.D.) | Freshman | Bovey, Minn. |
| INF | Liana McMurtry | Bellevue (Neb.) | Junior | Bellevue, Neb. |
| INF | Saige Forseth | Valley City State (N.D.) | Senior | Hillsboro, N.D. |
| INF | Alyssa DePoorter | Valley City State (N.D.) | Junior | Casper, Wyo. |
| OF | Hannah McFarland | Dakota State (S.D.) | Sophomore | Lawtey, Fla. |
| OF | Kennadi Stone | Valley City State (N.D.) | Freshman | Blaine, Minn. |
| OF | Alexa Sidel | Bellevue (Neb.) | Junior | Papillion, Neb. |
| OF | Makenzee Stone | Valley City State (N.D.) | Junior | Blaine, Minn. |
| DP | Logan Gronberg | Valley City State (N.D.) | Sophomore | Bismarck, N.D. |
| UTIL | Dallis Mitchell | Dickinson State (N.D.) | Senior | Phoenix, Ariz. |
| At-Large | Michelle Evdos | Dakota State (S.D.) | Junior | Parker, Colo. |
| At-Large | Madison Clark | Waldorf (Iowa) | Freshman | Kimberly, Idaho |
| At-Large | Joelle Lamontagne | Valley City State (N.D.) | Graduate St. | Oxbow, Sask., Canada |
| At-Large | Brooke Hickey | Waldorf (Iowa) | Junior | Adel, Iowa |
| Second Team All-Conference | ||||
| Position | Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| At-Large | Ashlyn Diemert | Valley City State (N.D.) | Junior | West Fargo, N.D. |
| At-Large | Madison Machacek | Bellevue (Neb.) | Senior | Bellevue, Neb. |
| At-Large | Morgan James | Viterbo (Wis.) | Senior | Mineral Point, Wis. |
| At-Large | Megan Jardine | Viterbo (Wis.) | Sophomore | West Valley City, Utah |
| At-Large | Cassy Loa | Dickinson State (N.D.) | Senior | San Diego, Calif. |
| At-Large | Cory Carrillo | Bellevue (Neb.) | Senior | Newbury Park, Calif. |
| At-Large | Makayla Nortman | Viterbo (Wis.) | Sophomore | Black River Falls, Wis. |
| At-Large | Maerin Dartnell | Valley City State (N.D.) | Freshman | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| At-Large | Marissa Carter-Olson | Viterbo (Wis.) | Sophomore | Oshkosh, Wis. |
| At-Large | Emily Haines | Mayville State (N.D.) | Graduate St. | Folsom, Calif. |
| At-Large | Kaela Eslinger | Waldorf (Iowa) | Senior | Macksburg, Iowa |
| Gold Glove Team | ||||
| Position | Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| C | Atiana Rodriguez | Bellevue (Neb.) | Sophomore | Bellevue, Neb. |
| 1B | Megan Elliott | Mayville State (N.D.) | Graduate St. | Simi Valley, Calif. |
| 2B | Courtney Denton | Viterbo (Wis.) | Sophomore | Menifee, Calif. |
| 3B | Alyssa DePoorter | Valley City State (N.D.) | Junior | Casper, Wyo. |
| SS | Ashlyn Diemert | Valley City State (N.D.) | Junior | West Fargo, N.D. |
| OF | Hannah McFarland | Dakota State (S.D.) | Sophomore | Lawtey, Fla. |
| OF | Makayla Nortman | Viterbo (Wis.) | Sophomore | Black River Falls, Wis. |
| OF | Myla Beckstrom | Bellevue (Neb.) | Senior | Omaha, Neb. |
| P | Savannah Gunn | Bellevue (Neb.) | Senior | Forney, Texas |
| NSAA Postseason Awards | ||||
| Pitcher-of-the-Year: | Katie Cunningham – Bellevue (Neb.) | |||
| Player-of-the-Year: | Katie Cunningham – Bellevue (Neb.) | |||
| Newcomer-of-the-Year: | Megan Elliott – Mayville State (N.D.) | |||
| Freshman-of-the-Year: | Lindsey Tulla – Mayville State (N.D.) | |||
| Coach-of-the-Year: | Michala Cimino – Bellevue (Neb.) | |||
| NSAA Champions of Character | ||||
| Bellevue (Neb.): | Lexi Blankenfeld | |||
| Dakota State (S.D.): | Alexus Foster | |||
| Dickinson State (N.D.): | Alexa Kappel | |||
| Mayville State (N.D.): | Mackenzie Iverson | |||
| Valley City State (N.D.): | Avery Kuklinski | |||
| Viterbo (Wis.): | Kate Olsen | |||
| Waldorf (Iowa): | Haley Ehlert | |||