DENVER - The Western Athletic Conference announced its end-of-year awards for the 2022 season, with the Seattle U Redhawks garnering seven honors. That included Carley Nance earning Player of the Year and Grace Luderer earning Freshman of the Year. In addition to those awards, Nance earned All-WAC First Team, Stefanie Madrigal was named All-WAC Second Team, and Lily Garcia, Madison Kahwaty, and Olivia Viggiano earned WAC All-Defensive.
This is the fourth consecutive year that the Redhawks have earned at least seven year-end honors from the WAC.
Now the second four-time All-WAC selection in Seattle U history, Nance is the first Redhawk ever to earn WAC Player of the Year. She finished first in the WAC in RBI and second in home runs at the plate, all while pitching to a career-best 2.38 ERA. In WAC play, Nance was even more impressive: her 0.35 ERA in WAC play leads the conference by 1.2 runs, while her eight home runs and 28 WAC RBI are both in the top five in conference play.
Nance's Player of the Year award only adds to her impressive career. The Washington native is tied for Seattle U's all-time Division I wins record with 48 and is in the all-time top five in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and shutouts. Her 422 strikeouts in the circle are the second-most all-time for Seattle U and the most in Seattle U's Division I history.
Luderer joins Lindsay Davis (2014) as the only Redhawks ever to earn WAC Freshman of the Year. This season, Luderer finished 11th in the WAC in ERA and eighth in strikeouts, with her 6.77 K/7 fourth in the conference. She is just three strikeouts away from becoming the first freshman in Seattle U history to strike out 100 batters in a single season. She has eight complete games, including seven against WAC opponents, and five starts striking out eight or more batters.
Madrigal's All-WAC honor is the second of her career after earning First Team in 2021. This year, Madrigal led the WAC in ERA for the second consecutive season while throwing a career-best 128.1 IP. Madrigal set career highs in wins (15), complete games (12), and strikeouts (74). Madrigal also improved to 11-1 all-time against WAC opponents. She allowed one or fewer earned runs in 14 of her 23 appearances. Madrigal's 15 wins are the second-most in a single season in Seattle U's Division I history.
The All-Defensive honors are the first of both Garcia's and Kahwaty's careers. This season, Garcia set a new career-best fielding percentage mark while starting 44 games in the middle infield, committing just four total errors. Her .975 fielding percentage this year was the best mark in the WAC for any player with at least 50 putouts and 50 assists.
Kahwaty started 48 games at shortstop, playing every inning of those 48 games in the field. The junior made ten errors on the season while racking up 50+ putouts and 100+ assists. Kahwaty's 121 assists were the most of any player in the WAC by 11: her .947 fielding percentage was fourth amongst players with at least 100 assists.
This is Viggiano's third consecutive season earning a season-ending award from the WAC. The two-time All-WAC honoree played every inning of every game in centerfield for Seattle U this year, making countless big plays. She made just three errors all season long, at one point going 30 games in a row without an error.
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This is the fourth consecutive year that the Redhawks have earned at least seven year-end honors from the WAC.
Now the second four-time All-WAC selection in Seattle U history, Nance is the first Redhawk ever to earn WAC Player of the Year. She finished first in the WAC in RBI and second in home runs at the plate, all while pitching to a career-best 2.38 ERA. In WAC play, Nance was even more impressive: her 0.35 ERA in WAC play leads the conference by 1.2 runs, while her eight home runs and 28 WAC RBI are both in the top five in conference play.
Nance's Player of the Year award only adds to her impressive career. The Washington native is tied for Seattle U's all-time Division I wins record with 48 and is in the all-time top five in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and shutouts. Her 422 strikeouts in the circle are the second-most all-time for Seattle U and the most in Seattle U's Division I history.
Luderer joins Lindsay Davis (2014) as the only Redhawks ever to earn WAC Freshman of the Year. This season, Luderer finished 11th in the WAC in ERA and eighth in strikeouts, with her 6.77 K/7 fourth in the conference. She is just three strikeouts away from becoming the first freshman in Seattle U history to strike out 100 batters in a single season. She has eight complete games, including seven against WAC opponents, and five starts striking out eight or more batters.
Madrigal's All-WAC honor is the second of her career after earning First Team in 2021. This year, Madrigal led the WAC in ERA for the second consecutive season while throwing a career-best 128.1 IP. Madrigal set career highs in wins (15), complete games (12), and strikeouts (74). Madrigal also improved to 11-1 all-time against WAC opponents. She allowed one or fewer earned runs in 14 of her 23 appearances. Madrigal's 15 wins are the second-most in a single season in Seattle U's Division I history.
The All-Defensive honors are the first of both Garcia's and Kahwaty's careers. This season, Garcia set a new career-best fielding percentage mark while starting 44 games in the middle infield, committing just four total errors. Her .975 fielding percentage this year was the best mark in the WAC for any player with at least 50 putouts and 50 assists.
Kahwaty started 48 games at shortstop, playing every inning of those 48 games in the field. The junior made ten errors on the season while racking up 50+ putouts and 100+ assists. Kahwaty's 121 assists were the most of any player in the WAC by 11: her .947 fielding percentage was fourth amongst players with at least 100 assists.
This is Viggiano's third consecutive season earning a season-ending award from the WAC. The two-time All-WAC honoree played every inning of every game in centerfield for Seattle U this year, making countless big plays. She made just three errors all season long, at one point going 30 games in a row without an error.
Stay connected with Seattle U softball and get all the latest team updates by downloading the GoSeattleU mobile app available now for free in the App Store or Google Play.