TRAFFORD, Pa. – The Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) announced its All-PAC Softball teams and top award winners on Tuesday, with District 9 and 10 alums well-represented.
Geneva’s Julia Hart (Slippery Rock High School) was a first-team selection at first base, while Westminster’s Elizabeth Malczak (Grove City) was second team at pitcher.
Earning honorable mention All-PAC was Chatham’s Mackenzie Dunn (Karns City) at catcher, Bethany’s Morgan Huey (Hickory) at Utility, and Grove City’s Kaitlyn Constantino (Clarion Area) at pitcher.
Waynesburg University won its second straight PAC Tournament title on Saturday and the repeat theme continued with the award winners. Three of the four top awards went to previous winners, starting with Geneva College senior outfielder Sarah Johnson (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) earning this year’s PAC Player of the Year, the second of her career after she was the Player of the Year in 2021. Also earning a second award was Waynesburg sophomore pitcher Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va./Clay-Battelle), who was honored as the PAC Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive year.
The Newcomer of the Year honor went to a Waynesburg player for a second straight season in sophomore second baseman Grace Higgins (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and Waynesburg fourth-year head coach Brett Shimek collected PAC Coach of the Year honors for the second year in a row.
Johnson becomes the first player to win two PAC Player of the Year awards since Rachael Schafer from Bethany College won three straight from 2001-03. Johnson’s final season as a Golden Tornado saw her set a plethora of Geneva career records, including career hits, stolen bases, runs scored, and triples, as she earned First Team All-PAC for a fourth time.
Hart hit .350 with a .957 OPS with two home runs, 43 RBIs, and 20 doubles.
Malczak, meanwhile, compiled a 14-4 record and a 3.04 ERA for Westminster with a 1.28 WHIP, striking out 43.
Dunn hit .357 for Chatham with a .696 slugging percentage. She also had a team-high six home runs and 29 RBIs.
Huey hit a team-leading .320 for Bethany with 25 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
Constantino put together a solid season for Grove City, going 11-7 with a 3.55 ERA. In 114 ⅓ innings, she struck out 72 and had a 1.64 WHIP.
PAC Award Winners
Player of the Year: Geneva senior outfielder Sarah Johnson (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista)
Pitcher of the Year: Waynesburg sophomore Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va./Clay-Battelle)
Newcomer of the Year: Waynesburg sophomore second base Grace Higgins (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan)
Coach of the Year: Waynesburg fourth-year head coach Brett Shimek
| All-PAC First Team | ||||
| Position | Name | Class | School | Hometown | High School |
| C | Brin Hunter | Sr. | Waynesburg | West Alexander, Pa./McGuffey |
| 1B | Julia Hart | Jr. | Geneva | Prospect, Pa./Slippery Rock |
| 1B | Mackenzie Latess | Sr. | Westminster | New Castle, Pa./Laurel |
| 2B | Grace Higgins | So. | Waynesburg | Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan |
| SS | Kimberly McDaniels | So. | Franciscan | Tucson, Ariz./Salpointe Catholic |
| SS | Alexis Yates | Sr. | Westminster | Oakdale, Pa./South Fayette |
| 3B | Rachel Zona | So. | Grove City | New Castle, Pa./New Castle |
| OF | Sarah Johnson | Sr. | Geneva | Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista |
| OF | Alex Dillner | Jr. | Saint Vincent | Irwin, Pa./Norwin |
| OF | Brooke Atkins | Sr. | Westminster | New Castle, Pa./Laurel |
| DP | Sophia Godzak | So. | Allegheny | Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon |
| UTIL | Janessa Dawson | Sr. | Grove City | Zanesville, Ohio/Tri-Valley |
| P | Aleya Belardinelli | So. | Allegheny | Melbourne, Fla./West Shore |
| P | Sydney Wilson | So. | Waynesburg | Pentress, W.Va./Clay-Battelle |
| P | Madison Brown | Grad. | Westminster | Lisbon, Ohio/East Liverpool |
| All-PAC Second Team | ||||
| Position | Name | Class | School | Hometown | High School |
| C | Cameron Long | Jr. | Allegheny | Midlothian, Va./Midlothian |
| 1B | Sofia Genareo | So. | Allegheny | Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern Central |
| 1B | Ella Brookman | Jr. | Waynesburg | Washington, Pa./Chartiers-Houston |
| 2B | Maci Linhart | So. | Grove City | Columbiana, Ohio/Columbiana |
| SS | Peyton Eckenrode | Sr. | W&J | York Haven, Pa./Northeastern |
| SS | Kayla Gratton | Jr. | Waynesburg | Monroeville, Pa./Gateway |
| 3B | Sydney Senay | Jr. | Waynesburg | Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan |
| OF | Reghan Benschoter | Sr. | Waynesburg | Newark, Ohio/Granville |
| OF | Jasmine DeMaske | Fr. | Waynesburg | Waynesburg, Pa./Jefferson-Morgan |
| OF | Ashley Wire | Sr. | Westminster | Poland, Ohio/Poland Seminary |
| DP | Jessica LaPorte | Jr. | Saint Vincent | Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks |
| UTIL | Mia Meholick | So. | Westminster | DuBois, Pa./DuBois Central Catholic |
| P | Haley Smith | Sr. | Geneva | Joshua Tree, Calif./Yucca Valley |
| P | Autumn Stemple | Sr | Waynesburg | Morgantown, W.Va./University |
| P | Elizabeth Malczak | Jr. | Westminster | Grove City, Pa./Grove City |
| Honorable Mention All-PAC | ||||
| Position | Name | Class | School | Hometown | High School |
| C | Mackenzie Dunn | Sr. | Chatham | Butler, Pa./Karns City |
| 1B | Destiny Goodnight | Jr. | Bethany | Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline |
| 2B | Kylie Heid | Fr. | Thiel | Monaca, Pa./Central Valley |
| SS | Lexi Buck | Sr. | Grove City | Akron, Ohio/Lake Center Christian |
| 3B | Kylee Yothers | Sr. | Thiel | Indian Head, Pa./Connellsville |
| OF | Samantha Phillips | Fr. | Allegheny | Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon |
| OF | Paige Shaftic | Grad. | Chatham | New Castle, Pa./New Castle |
| OF | Payton James | Fr. | Geneva | McKinney, Texas/McKinney |
| OF | Julia DiPietro-Harvey | Fr. | W&J | Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice |
| DP | Kaitlyn Collins | Sr. | Chatham | Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion |
| DP | Peri Ceasri | Sr. | Geneva | El Dorado Hills, Calif./Vista Del Lago |
| UTIL | Morgan Huey | Sr. | Bethany | Hermitage, Pa./Hickory |
| P | Victoria Murren | Fr. | Chatham | New Oxford, Pa./Bermudian Springs |
| P | Kaitlyn Constantino | Jr. | Grove City | Clarion, Pa./Clarion |
| P | Olivia Bushore | So. | Saint Vincent | Claysburg, Pa./Claysburg-Kimmel |
