MADISON, Wis. – UW-Stevens Point head softball coach Ryan Konitzer and his assistant Elizabeth Malarski were named WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year headlining All-WIAC honors announced on Wednesday (May 13). Morgan Harwood (Neenah, Wis./Neenah), Kodi Rizzo (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) and Hailee Thompson (Bonduel, Wis./Bonduel) earned first-team honors with Rachael Madsen (Kenosha, Wis./Mary D. Bradford) and Sophie Schmidt (Twin Lakes, Wis./Wilmot Union) picking up honorable mention nods. Hattie Ulrich (Indus, Minn./Falls) was named to the WIAC All-Sportsmanship team.
 
WIAC Release
 
Konitzer and Malarski led the Pointers to a 30-13 record and a WIAC Tournament title this season. It is the fourth-straight season with at least 28 wins, the longest stretch in program history. In April, Konitzer became the winningest coach in program history. He won his 200th game at UWSP in the championship game of the WIAC Tournament.
 
Harwood collects her third-straight first-team honor. In the circle, she went 10-4 with a 1.72 earned run average. She struck out 83 in 85.1 innings pitched. She had seven appearances with no runs allowed in 23 appearances overall. She posted a season-high 10 strikeouts in the regular season finale against Loras. As a hitter, Harwood hit .302 with three home runs, two doubles and eight RBI.
 
Rizzo garners her first career all-conference honor. She leads the team with a 0.98 earned run average, the eighth-best in the nation. She went 11-1 with three shutouts and three saves. She struck out 83 in 78.2 innings pitched. In March, she pitched in a pair of combined no-hitters against Plattsburgh State and Fredonia. She earned five wins against WIAC teams and went 2-0 with a save at the WIAC Tournament last week. In the regular season finale, she racked up a career-high 12 strikeouts in a complete-game shutout win over Loras.
 
Thompson picks up her first career league honor. She led the team with a .388 batting average and 15 doubles, tied for the most two-baggers in the league. She also hit six home runs, tied for the team lead, and drove in 26, tied for second. She was second on the team with 30 runs scored. Thompson had 17 multi-hit games, including a season-best 4-for-4 performance against Framingham State in March. She had hitting streaks of eight and seven games this season.
 
Madsen earns all-conference honors in her first season at UWSP. She has made an immediate impact as the Pointers' catcher cutting down 15 potential base stealers, the second-most in the country. Offensively, she hit .273 with 26 RBI, four home runs and nine doubles. She was second on the team with 14 stolen bases. She had nine multi-hit games and a season-high three hits in game one against UW-Stout.
 
Schmidt grabs her first career all-conference award. She hit .339, third-best on the team, and drove in 21. She added eight doubles and three home runs with 29 runs scored. She recorded 10 multi-hit games, including a season-high 4-for-4 performance against Lake Forest. Schmidt had a season-best three RBI in three different games, twice against league foes.
 
Ulrich earns all-sportsmanship team honors in her first season at UWSP.  She appeared in four games with a run scored and an RBI. She scored her first collegiate run at Millikin and drove in her first run versus St. Norbert.
 
The Pointers open NCAA Tournament play on Thursday (May 14) in Winona, Minn., against regional host Saint Mary's. First pitch is slated for 11:00 a.m.