NIACC's Olive, Kelley earn first-team NFCA all-American honors
MASON CITY – The NIACC softball team landed two players on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association first-team all-American team, which was released Friday.
NIACC sophomore Katy Olive was selected as a first-team shortstop and sophomore Madisyn Kelley earned first-team at-large honors as a catcher.
It is the second straight season that at least one Trojan has been placed on an NFCA all-American team. NIACC's Laken Lienhard was a first-team selection in 2023 as she won the Joan Joyce utility/pitcher award.
Third- and fourth-place national finishers Murray State College and Copiah Lincoln Community College, along with Jones College and Parkland College each had three All-Americans with the latter two earning two first-team nods, while Murray State and Copiah-Lincoln had one each on the first team.
Five more programs – national runner-up Kirkwood, Johnson County, NIACC, Pearl River Community College and Rock Valley College each had two all-Americans. Both selections for Johnson County and NIACC landed on the first team, while the other three programs earned one first-team selection.
Olive, who is from Minnepolis, hit .472 with 27 home runs, which was tied for third in NJCAA Division II, and 20 doubles while collecting 81 RBIs and stealing a nation's best 70 bases. She collected 92 hits and scored 95 runs.
Olive, who was the ICCAC offensive player of the year, set single-season school records in 2024 with 92 hits, 95 runs scored, 81 RBIs and 70 stolen bases.
Olive is NIACC's career leader in home runs (41), stolen bases (133), runs scored (168) and at-bats (363). She ranks second on the school's career list in hits (154), RBIs (119) and walks (54).
Kelley, who is from Nora Springs, hit .490 (4th on school's single-season list) with 23 home runs (2nd on school's single-season list), 10 doubles and 67 RBIs (3rd on school's single-season list). Kelley collected 73 hits and scored 56 runs.
In her one season as a Trojan, Kelley ranks fifth on the school's career home run list (23) and is tied for 16th on the school's career RBI list (67).
NIACC's NFCA All-Americans
2016 - Kendall Cornick (outfield) NJCAA Division II first team
Note: Kendall Cornick was a 2016 NFCA NJCAA Division II Golden Shoe winner.
2018 - Morgan Thesing-Ritter (outfield) NJCAA Division II second team
2019 - Kaci Sherwood (infield) NJCAA Division II second team
2021 - Laken Lienhard (utility/pitcher) NJCAA Division II second team
2023 - Laken Lienhard (Joan Joyce utility/pitcher) NJCAA Division II first team
2024 - Katy Olive (shortstop) NJCAA Division II first team; Madisyn Kelley (catcher) NJCAA Division II at-large first-team
Note: Katy Olive was the 2023 New Balance/NFCA NJCAA Division II Golden Shoe winner.
