La Crosse, Wis. - Five members of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team have been named to the 2026 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Academic All-District® Team, selected by the College Sports Communicators (CSC), the organization announced Tuesday.

Junior pitcher Carmen Follette of Dousman (Kettle Moraine), junior shortstop Brooke Howard of Rock Falls, Ill. (H.S.), and junior first baseman Lindsay Steien of Taylor (Blair-Taylor), sophomore infielder Josie Flom of Kenyon, Minn. (Kenyon-Wanamingo) and sophomore pitcher Kaeley Niemiec of Menomonee Falls (H.S.) picked up the academic accolades.  

It marks the second straight season Follette, Howard and Steien have earned CSC Academic All-District® honors. 

A biology major and College of Science and Health minor with a 3.69 grade point average, Follette earned 2026 All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) First Team honors. She finished 10-6 with a 1.92 earned run average. Follette appeared in 21 games, including 14 starts, recording eight complete-games and four shutouts.

She led UWL in wins (10), ERA (1.92), appearances (21), starts (14), complete-games (8), shutout (4), innings (105.2) and strikeouts (88). Follette held opponents to a .218 batting average. 

Follette went at least 5.0 innings in 10 games this year, including a season-high 10.0 in a 2-1 victory at UW-Stout on May 2. She was a two-time WIAC Pitcher of the Week selection. Follette earned the victory over then third-ranked Saint Mary's University (Minn.) on April 22, going 9.0 innings in a 1-0 win. She allowed two hits and four walks while striking out three as UWL snapped Saint Mary's (Minn.) 17-game winning streak. Follette did not allow a hit until a two-out single in the top of the seventh.

Howard, majoring in chemistry and mathematics with a 3.81 grade point average, was named to the 2026 All-WIAC Honorable Mention Team. Howard started all 38 games she appeared in, hitting .309. Registering a hit in 25 contests, Howard had 13 games with two hits. 

Howard scored a run in 19 contests with a season-high two in five different games. She finished with a season-high three RBI versus Kalamazoo College (Mich.) on March 20.

The team leader in at-bats (123) and triples (4) in 2026, Howard was second for UWL in runs (24), hits (38), sacrifice bunts (30 and sacrifice flies (2). She was third in doubles (6), slugging percentage (.423), RBI (22) and total bases (52) while ranking fourth in batting average (.309).
 

A finance major with a 3.77 grade point average, Steien earned 2026 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III All-Region VIII Third Team accolades. She led UWL with a .372 batting average while starting all 40 games. Steien also led the Eagles in runs (32), hits (45), stolen bases (21), slugging percentage (.537), total bases (65) and sacrifice bunts (6).

Steien was second in doubles (9), RBI (23) and sacrifice flies (2) while ranking third in at-bats (121), walks (11) and hit-by-pitches (2).

Recording a hit in 27 contests, Steien led UWL with 14 multiple-hit games. She had five multiple-RBI games, ranking third on the team.

Flom, an exercise sport science major with a 3.96 grade point average, played in 38 games with 32 starts this season. She hit .259 overall while leading UWL in sacrifice flies (3) and hit-by-pitches (6). Flom tied for fourth in walks (10). 

She had three multiple-hit games this year and scored two runs in three different games. Flom hit a home run with three RBI versus St. Olaf College (Minn.) on March 26.

Majoring in accounting and economics with a 4.00 grade point average, Niemiec made 17 pitching appearances this season. She finished 4-4 on the year with 11 starts. Niemiec tied for second for the Eagles in saves (1).
 

She was second on the team in wins (4), starts (11) and innings (43.0) while finishing third in strikeouts (26) and tied for third in appearances (17).

Follette, Howard and Steien are two-year members of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll while Flom and Niemiec have one earned the honor once.

Eligible nominees must have competed in 90 percent of the institution's games played or must start in at least 66 percent of the institution's games. For pitchers, a student-athlete must have made at least 17 appearances or pitched 35.0 innings.
 
The 2026 Academic All-District® Softball Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes tennis honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

Academic All-District® honorees are considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced Tuesday, June 16, 2026. 

The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2025-26 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA governance structure.