LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Manhattanville University softball team had six student-athletes named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) 2026 Division III All-Region Team, the organization announced over the weekend.
The Valiants sent junior pitcher
Jori Wilkendorf (Livermore, Calif./Livermore), junior third baseman
Alexa Lazur (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) and sophomore designated player
Josie O'Leary (Pawling, N.Y./Pawling) to the Region III First Team for their respective positions, while sophomore outfielder
Emma Foster (Santa Barbara, Calif./San Marcos), senior outfielder
Isabella Tansey (San Diego, Calif./University City) and freshman second baseman
Breanna Ochoa (South Gate, Calif./Saint Joseph) were each voted to the Second Team.
The six honorees is the most All-Region selections the Valiants have had in a single season in program history. Manhattanville was also just one of ten schools across all of Division III to have six or more student-athletes earn All-Region accolades.
It is the first All-Region selection for each Valiant minus Tansey, who was recognized by the NFCA last season as a junior on the Third Team as an outfielder.
Wilkendorf had the best season of her career this junior campaign, going 20-5 in the circle as the Valiants' leading arm. She posted an even 2.00 ERA on the year across 161 innings of work, making 31 appearances and 27 starts. Wilkendorf went the distance in 16 contests and posted eight shutouts, striking out 79 on the year while holding opposing batters to a .248 batting average. She was involved in a pair of no-hitters on the season, first throwing the opening three innings on March 19 in a combined no-no against Yeshiva before firing her first solo no-hitter against Sarah Lawrence on April 11. She went 2-0 in three appearances in the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament, allowing just one run over 12.1 innings, while also picking up the victory in the Valiants' NCAA Tournament opener against Pfeiffer, holding the Falcons to one run across seven innings.
After being named Skyline Conference Player of the Year and the Skyline Conference Championship Most Outstanding Player, Lazur added one more accolade to her breakout junior campaign as an All-Region selection. The third baseman was one of the Valiants' top weapons at the plate, leading Manhattanville with a .425 average, .708 slugging percentage, five home runs, and .483 on-base percentage. Lazur played in 44 games and made the start at the hot corner for 43, driving in 31 runs while scoring 27 on 45 total hits, legging out 15 doubles. The junior really found her power in the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament where she belted three homers en route to being named the tourney's Most Outstanding Player, including a pair in the championship finals victory over Farmingdale.
O'Leary took the helm as the Valiants' primary designated player her sophomore season after primarily coming out of the dugout as a pinch hitter and runner her rookie campaign. O'Leary played in all but one game in 2026 and made 39 starts, hitting .416 on the season as a mainstay in the two-hole in the lineup. The sophomore's batting average was second to only Lazur on the team while she drove in 27 runs and scored 29. O'Leary hit four doubles and a pair of triples on the year while also showing off the wheels while on base, finishing second on the team with 25 steals.
Foster also enjoyed herself a coming out party this sophomore season as the outfielder hit at the top of the Valiant lineup. Foster sported a .483 on-base percentage, tied with Lazur for the team high, en route to scoring a team-leading 52 runs. Foster's run total was the most by a Valiant in two years, trailing only Sarah Harker (54) and
Samantha Walsh (Spring City, Pa./Owen J Roberts) (53) from 2024. The right fielder hit .390 on the campaign and drove in 29, hitting 11 doubles, four triples and a pair of home runs. Foster also logged 31 stolen bases, the second-highest single-season total in program history.
Tansey concludes her collegiate career with her second-straight All-Region selection, starting all 46 games of the year in left field for the Valiants. The senior hit .381 on the season and finished with career-highs of 39 RBI and 36 runs scored. Tansey hit 19 doubles, three triples and four home runs on the year while swiping 18 bases, all personal bests. The San Diego product led the Valiants in driving in runs while hitting third in the lineup and was just one of two players alongside Foster to play in all 46 games of the season.
Rounding out the All-Region accolades is freshman Ochoa, who quickly established herself at second for the Valiants. The rookie started in 44 games at second base, hitting .352 on the year. Hitting at the bottom of the lineup, Ochoa was able to reach base at a .421 clip, clipping the order back to the top and allowing her to score 37 runs, second to only Foster on the team. The freshman also drove in 31 runs with a double, four triples and a home run while going 15-of-17 on steal attempts. Ochoa further showed off a solid glove in the field, posting a .977 fielding percentage while helping turn 11 double plays.
All six Valiants have advanced to All-America consideration. The NFCA will announce its 2026 Division III All-America Teams on May 27.
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