INDIANAPOLIS – Following their record-setting season, the Northern Kentucky softball program cleaned up at the 2023 #HLSB Awards as Kathryn Gleason was named the Horizon League's Coach of the Year, Maddie Lacer earned Defensive Player of the Year honors, Ella LeMonier, Lauryn Hicks and Lacer picked up All-League First Team selections and both Jena Rhoads and Brielle DiMemmo were named to the All-Freshman Team as the league announced its yearly award winners on Tuesday.
 
All of the honors come a day before Northern Kentucky is set to face Youngstown State in the opening round of the 2023 Horizon League Championships on Wednesday, May 9.
 
 
COACH OF THE YEAR – KATHRYN GLEASON
 
Kathryn Gleason was named the Horizon League's Coach of the Year after the Norse posted a record-setting campaign in 2023.
 
Gleason guided the Norse to its best regular season finish since NKU joined the Horizon League as the Norse racked up a 13-9 mark in league play to place third overall in the conference.
 
The third-place Horizon finish came after NKU was selected to take sixth overall in the Coaches Preseason Poll.
 
To go with the standout conference play, Gleason and the Norse recorded their first win against a Power Five program in school history earlier this season with a victory over Michigan State back on Feb. 12.
 
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR + ALL-LEAGUE FIRST TEAM – MADDIE LACER
Maddie Lacer has been a rock behind the plate for the Norse this season, which led to her selection as the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and All-League First Team honors.
 
The Manteno, Illinois native posted 25 assists from the catcher position to go with gunning down 12 attempted bases stealers out of 49 attempts overall. Lacer threw out 24.5 percent of steals attempts on the season and ranked just outside the top-25 in all of NCAA Division I softball in caught steal attempts. She also topped the Horizon League in the statistic.
 
To go with her work behind the dish, Lacer hit .235 with 28 hits, two home runs, 24 RBI, 16 runs scored and three stolen bases. She ranked 12th in the Horizon in RBI, tied for 17th in homers and was tied for 37th in base hits. She also led the Norse in RBI this season.
 
Lacer is the first student-athlete to claim the Horizon's Defensive Player of the Year award since NKU joined the conference.
 
 
ALL-LEAGUE FIRST TEAM – ELLA LEMONIER
Ella LeMonier has been one of the most complete offensive student-athletes in the Horizon League this season as she ended the year ranked in a tie for third in stolen bases (21), fourth in base hits (52), tied for sixth in runs scored (27), seventh in batting average (.331) and ninth in on-base percentage (.393). Her stolen base mark is also slotted in a tie for 77th in all of NCAA DI.
 
She has also been a stud in the field for NKU this season, with a fielding percentage of .980 as the Norse's top outfield. LeMonier also recorded a career-best four outfield assists on the year.
 
 
ALL-LEAGUE FIRST TEAM – LAURYN HICKS
Lauryn Hicks has posted one of the best single seasons in NKU Division I history en route to her All-League First Team honors. The standout senior is ranked in a tie for second in saves (2), fifth in opponent batting average (.247), tied for sixth in strikeouts (104) and sixth in wins (8) along with being seventh in ERA (2.80).
 
Hicks also posted the first NCAA DI era no-hitter in school history back on April 14 against Detroit Mercy. The Kokomo, Indiana native, who went 8-8 overall, posted a career best in ERA in 2023.
 
 
ALL-LEAGUE SECOND TEAM + ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM – JENA RHOADS
Jena Rhoads was one of the top freshmen student-athletes in the Horizon League this season as she earned both All-League Second Team and All-Freshman Team honors.
 
The Wilmington, Ohio native had a huge first year with the Norse as she recorded a .276 batting average, 34 hits, two home runs, 19 RBI, 19 runs scored and four stolen bases. She ranked in a tie for 24th in the Horizon in batting average to go with being ranked tied for 18th in the conference in RBI, tied for 19th in hits and tied for 22nd in runs scored.
 
In the outfield, Rhoads also posted a near perfect .982 fielding percentage to go with one assist.
 
 
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM – BRIELLE DIMEMMO
Brielle DiMemmo made it two Norse to make the All-Freshmen team as the St. Louis, Missouri native had a stellar start to her collegiate career with NKU.
 
DiMemmo posted a .218 batting average to go with 19 hits, one home run, 12 RBI, eight runs scored and three stolen bases. She finished the regular season tied for 36th in the conference in RBI and tied for 53rd in base knocks.
 
In the field, DiMemmo recorded 48 assists to go with a .899 fielding percentage.
 

2023 #HLSB AWARDS
Player of the Year: Tiffany Giese, Green Bay
Pitcher of the Year: Sydney Campbell, Oakland
Defensive Player of the Year: Maddie Lacer, Northern Kentucky
Freshman of the Year: Paige Hanson, Green Bay
Coaches of the Year: Kathryn Gleason, Northern Kentucky & Lauren Karn, Oakland
 
All-League First Team
Position Players
Jenna Deang, Cleveland State
Becky Hurosky, Cleveland State
Tiffany Giese, Green Bay
Paige Hanson, Green Bay
Jaida Speth, IUPUI
Maddie Lacer, Northern Kentucky
Ella LeMonier, Northern Kentucky
Maci Brown, Oakland
Reese Ruhlman, Oakland
Taryn Jenkins, Purdue Fort Wayne
Sara Fessler, Youngstown State
 
Pitchers
Lauryn Hicks, Northern Kentucky
Sydney Campbell, Oakland
Dana Vatakis, RMU
 
All-League Second Team
Position Players
Jadin Justman, Green Bay
Randi McKay, Green Bay
Kendal Calvert, IUPUI
Kayla Freiberg, IUPUI
Jordan Jenkins, IUPUI
Jena Rhoads, Northern Kentucky
Jen Krizka, Oakland
Tori Countryman, Purdue Fort Wayne
Bailey Manos, Purdue Fort Wayne
Sonia Solis, Purdue Fort Wayne
Elyssa Imler, Youngstown State
 
Pitchers
Melissa Holzopfel, Cleveland State
Madison Bryant, IUPUI
Sophie Howell, Youngstown State
 
All-Freshman Team
Alison Donaugh, Detroit Mercy
Jenna Holt, Detroit Mercy
Paige Hanson, Green Bay
Kennedy Cowan, IUPUI
Brielle DiMemmo, Northern Kentucky
Jena Rhoads, Northern Kentucky
Tori Countryman, Purdue Fort Wayne
Grace Hollopeter, Purdue Fort Wayne
Alanah Jones, Purdue Fort Wayne
 


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