TROY, N.Y. – The Union College softball team started its season with two weekly awards and the women's indoor track & field team headed into the NCAA Championships with its first of the season, while three more student-athletes were recognized by the Liberty League with honor roll spots for the week ending March 8, the conference office announced on Monday afternoon.
Softball Performer of the Week: Kyla Springer
Springer hit .533 (8 for 15) with a double, two triples, four runs batted in and seven runs scored in Union's first four games of the season. She had at least one hit in every game, starting with a 4-for-4 effort with two RBIs and two runs scored in the season-opening 7-0 win over Centenary University. She scored a week-best three runs in game two against the Cyclones, then had three more hits the next day in two close contests versus the University of Scranton.
Softball Pitcher of the Week: Carra Cleaves
Cleaves went 1-1 with a 1.11 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 12.2 innings over three appearances to start the season for Union. She got the year off to an excellent start against Centenary, tossing a four-hit shutout and striking out a career-high 14 in a 7-0 victory, while also going 2-for-4 with a double, homer and two RBIs at the plate. On Sunday against Scranton, she left with a lead after allowing two runs on three hits in five innings of game one, and also did not allow an earned run in 0.2 innings of relief of game two.
Women's Track & Field Field Performer of the Week: Ashley Sheldon
Sheldon matched her own program record by clearing 1.70 meters on her second attempt to win an AARTFC championship and qualify her for the NCAA Championships for the third straight year. The junior cleared her first three heights on the first opportunity, then cleared 1.67 meters on her second try to clinch a top-four finish. After all four competitors missed at their first shot at 1.70, Sheldon cleared the bar on her second try and watched the remaining three miss their third chance to take the title. She is one of nine Division III athletes to clear 1.70 meters this season.
Honor Roll Mentions:
Baseball: Caleb Miller
Miller led the team with eight hits while catching 33 innings during Union's 2-2 opening weekend of games in New Jersey. Miller scored his 100th career run during a 14-5 win over Stockton University on Friday, going 4-5 with two doubles and four RBI. Miller had a pair of two-hit games against Stevens Institute of Technology on Sunday, giving him 36 games in his career with two or more base knocks. He picked off a runner and caught another stealing in the Garnet Chargers' season debut, then threw out four more would-be base stealers the rest of the weekend. His .421 batting average was the second-highest out of the team's regular lineup.
Men's Lacrosse: Walker Popko
Popko led Union with five goals and an assist in two games last week. After scoring one goal with one assist on Wednesday against Williams College, the senior came back with a game-high four goals and added three ground balls in a 12-5 win over Muhlenberg College on Saturday, including a flurry of three straight goals in the span of 5:07 in the second quarter to give the Garnet Chargers a lead they would never relinquish.
Women's Lacrose: Maddy Schiller
Schiller had a pair of hat tricks as Union started off the 2026 season with a split of two games. She tied for the game high in goals in Wednesday's season-opener at #21 Trinity College, including back-to-back tallies in the fourth quarter to get Union back within three before the Bantams pulled away late. She scored once in each of the final three periods on Saturday in a 13-11 comeback win over Massachusetts Institute of Technology, netting the game-winning tally with 4:29 remaining in the fourth.
