ORONO, Maine - The Great Danes are crowned 2024 #AESB Champions! For the eighth time in program history, UAlbany has earned the championship title, with a 4-0 victory over UMass Lowell.
The Great Danes have earned the America East’s automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Softball Championship and will learn its draw during the NCAA Selection Show, which takes place Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2.
Grad student Wendi Hammond was selected as the Championship’s Most Outstanding Player for her work in the circle pitching a complete game with no runs allowed and six strikeouts.
How it happened:
- After Mary Kate Murray walked and Jordan Nastos doubled to start the bottom of the second, Sara delivered a two-run single up the middle to give UAlbany a 2-0 lead.
- There was no scoring until the bottom of the fifth when Mary Kate Murray singled through the right side, bringing home Maddi Petrella and Morgan Petty to make it a 4-0 game.
Joining Hammond on the All-Championship Team are teammates Sarah Anderson, Maddi Petrella, and Morgan Petty. For the River Hawks Lea White, Ryley White, and Elizabeth Frederick were all selections for the #AESB All Championship Team
The 2024 Elite 18 Award winner was Caitlyn Mitros of UAlbany, a mental health counseling major with a 3.96 GPA. He had the highest GPA of any of the competing student-athletics in the championship round.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -