LORETTO, Pa. – Softball's Savannah Nash was named Northeast Conference Player of the Year and Olivia Ulam was named the Northeast Conference's Golden Glove, the conference announced Wednesday.
Saint Francis placed eight players on All-NEC teams, including four on the First Team, two on the Second Team and two on the All-Rookie team.
Nash is the fourth player to receive Player of the Year honors. Ulam is the second player to earn the Golden Glove award and the first player in program history to be named to the All-Conference First Team for all four of her undergraduate years. Rachel Marsden and Grace Vesco also earned All-NEC First Team for four consecutive years, but there were no conference awards in their freshman year due to the pandemic in 2020.
Nash – NEC Player of the Year / All-Conference First Team (OF)
The Mechanicsville, Va. native leads the conference in batting average (.421) and stolen bases (18). She also leads the team in runs scored (37), home runs (11) and hits (67). She was second in the conference in hits, home runs and at-bats (159).
She was a two-time NFCA Top Performer, a D1Softball Top 100 Hitter in Week 11, a four-time NEC Player of the Week and a seven-time Prime Performer this season.
Nash is the first NEC Player of the Year since Meckenzie Saban in 2022. This is her second consecutive year on the All-Conference First Team, making the Second Team her freshman year.
Ulam – NEC Golden Glove / All-Conference First Team (1B)
The Canonsburg, Pa. native finished the season with a conference-leading 14 doubles and 346 putouts at first base on a leading 359 chances. She was second on the team in batting average (.350), runs scored (30), hits (49) and total bases (75). The senior also led the team in fielded double plays (10).
Ulam began the season as No. 14 in D1Softball's Player Position Rankings. She was also an NEC Prime Performer one time this season.
Ulam is the first Golden Glove since Kindra Witthus in 2017, making her the second in program history. She spent all four years as a member of the All-Conference First Team.
Hannah Bendle – All-Conference First Team (SS)
Bendle is third on the team in batting average (.331), hits (41), doubles (9) and home runs (5). She is second in slugging percentage (.540), stolen bases (9), total chances (221) and fielding double plays (5). She leads the team in assists with 138.
The New Concord, Ohio native was a Prime Performer this season. This marks her first yearly award from the NEC.
Allie Braly – All-Conference First Team (P)
Braly is second in the NEC with a 2.68 ERA and is tied for first in the conference with 12 wins. She leads the Red Flash in opposing batting average (.256), innings pitched (125.1), strikeouts (62) and starts (22).
She was a three-time Prime Performer this season. This is her first All-Conference selection.
Annabelle Farmer – All-Conference Second Team (C)
Farmer is fifth on the team with three home runs and second in putouts with 110. She is second in the conference in caught stealing by (14).
In the team's 15-14 win over Le Moyne, the Lancaster, Ohio native had a standout performance, going 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, two runs scored and four RBIs.
This All-NEC Second Team selection is her second consecutive NEC honor, making the Second Team last season.
AB Cipalla – All-Conference Second Team / All-Rookie Team (DP)
Cipalla leads the NEC in hit-by-pitch (16). She leads the team in triples (2) and is third in runs scored (28) and stolen bases (5).
In conference play, the Erie, Pa. native is third in runs scored (22). She opened the 2025 season as NEC Rookie of the Week and a Prime Performer.
Sofia Zielinski – All-Rookie Team (OF/1B)
Zielinski led the team in RBIs with 35, good for third in the NEC. The Phoenix, Ariz. native is second on the team in home runs (8) and third in doubles (9) and total bases (70). She leads the league in RBIs with 28 in conference play.
Three of Zielinski's eight home runs this season have been grand slams, including walk-offs against FDU and Le Moyne.
She is a three-time NEC Rookie of the Week, a one-time NEC Player of the Week and a one-time Prime Performer. She was also a D1Softball Top 100 Hitter in Week 11.
The Red Flash will compete in the NEC Championships on May 8-10 in Brooklyn, N.Y., playing FDU on Thursday at 3 p.m.
