SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjacket softball team saw five receive honors from the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team, as the organization revealed in an announcement Tuesday.
 
Juniors Ellie Macal (Winona, Minn./Cotter) and Zoe Thomson (Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson), along with the sophomore trio of MyKenzie Leccia (Somerset, Wis./Somerset), Larissa Snyder (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park) and Samantha Swartz (Antigo, Wis./Antigo) received academic honors.
 
The College Sports Communicators (formerly known as College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-America® program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom, separately recognizing softball student-athletes in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
 
To be eligible for nomination consideration, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or higher and be a starter or key contributor on their respective team.

Macal holds a 3.83 grade point average while majoring in Biology. She capped the 2024 campaign with a .376/.438/.505 slash, featuring a batting average ranking second among starters. Macal finished with seven doubles, two triples and a home run while stealing five bases. Behind the plate she held a .936 fielding percentage in 125 chances on her way to receiving honorable mention honors from the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC).
 
Thomson maintains a 3.61 grade point average while studying Elementary Education. She finished with a team-third .369 batting average, paired with an on-base percentage of .430 and a .607 slugging percentage. Thomson's 45 hits were good for second place across the team while her five homers saw her in a tie of first place among her fellow Yellowjackets. For her efforts, she was slated to the All-UMAC honorable mention squad.
 
Leccia, an Exercise Science major who boasts a 3.96 grade point average, capped her season by hitting .365, collecting 42 hits and a team-leading 42 RBIs. She also led the team in slugging percentage (.643), home runs (five) and doubles (17). Defensively she was successful in all 50 putouts, finishing with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in back-to-back seasons, earning a spot on the All-UMAC First Team.
 
Snyder studies Biology and posts a 3.99 grade point average. The sophomore shortstop enjoyed a year that saw her swing at a .319 clip, while finishing with four homers and 26 RBIs. She was walked 16 times and led her squad with 23 stolen bases in as many attempts. Defensively Snyder held a fielding percentage of .960, finishing with 67 putouts and 100 assists as she was slated to the conference's honorable mention list.
 
Swartz sits with a grade point average of 3.63 while studying Biochemistry. As a two-way player, she held a batting average of .477 (21-for-44), including a triple and 15 RBIs while drawing a walk. She stole two bases in two attempts this year while accounting for 13 runs. In the field Swartz didn't draw an error in 13 putouts and 35 assists. In the circle she finished second in ERA (4.80) on her way to a 9-3 record. Appearing in 24 games and starting 10, Swartz pitched 75 innings while grabbing 34 strikeouts as she picked up an honorable mention tab.
 
The Yellowjackets ended the 2024 season in the NCAA Division III Regionals, finishing with an overall record of 26-15. UWS collected the program's fourth overall and second straight UMAC tournament championship.