DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The College Sports Communicators (CSC) have announced their selections for Academic All-District honors in softball and five UMass Dartmouth student-athletes have been recognized. Senior
Sydney Menz, juniors
Olivia Ali,
Lily Routhier and
Olivia Silva, along with sophomore
Edy Crawford were all tabbed following an outstanding on the field and in the classroom.
Menz, a centerfielder who hails from Stoughton, Mass., posted a 3.73 cumulative grade point average as a nursing major. In 42 games for the Corsairs this season, she batted .348, going 40-for-115 at the plate. In addition to 30 runs scored, she added 26 runs batted in with 26 total bases. Of her 40 hits, 12 were doubles. Menz also recorded 13 walks, was hit-by-pitch nine times and struck out just 12 times in 115 appearances at the plate. Additionally, she went 11-for-13 in stolen bases and had a .987 fielding percentage with 73 putouts and four assists on the season.
In her outstanding career, Menz played in 150 games for the Corsairs, starting 148 of those. She recorded 107 hits in her career, including 21 doubles and four triples in 359 at-bats. In addition, she recorded 80 runs scored with 62 runs batted in and 136 total bases. Menz owned a career batting average of .298, recording a slugging percentage of .379 and an on-base percentage of .391.
Ali, a left fielder from Wrentham, Mass., had a 3.56 cumulative GPA as a Crime & Justice Studies major. Appearing in 43 games, including 41 as a starter, Ali batted .338 on the season. She went 44-for-130 at the plate with five doubles. In addition to 29 runs scored, she posted 16 runs batted in while going a perfect 8-for-8 in stolen bases. She also boasted a .377 slugging percentage with a .400 on-base percentage.
Routhier, a right fielder and pitcher from Attleboro, Mass., posted a 3.58 GPA as an Accounting major. One of only three players to start all 46 games this season for the Corsairs, she had a .301 batting average, going 43-for-143 at the plate. Of her 43 hits, seven were doubles, two were triples and one was a home run. Routhier added 16 runs scored with 20 runs batted in, going 6-for-9 in stolen base attempts. She also made six appearances in the circle for UMD, sporting a 4-0 overall mark with 22.0 innings pitched. She allowed nine runs (7 earned) on 18 hits with four strikeouts and a 2.23 earned run average.
Silva, a catcher/designated player from Swansea, Mass., recorded a 3.63 grade point average as a Political Science major. Starting all 46 games for the Corsairs, she batted .365 on the year with 58 hits in 159 at-bats. Of her 58 hits – which ranked second on the team – 10 were doubles and three were home runs. Silva also stole three bases on the season, was walked 10 times and struck out just three times in 159 appearances at the plate. She finished with a .484 slugging percentage and a .404 on-base percentage.
Crawford, a pitcher from Exeter, N.H., had a 3.51 cumulative GPA as a Psychology major this season. Making a team-high 34 appearances, she started 21 games in the circle for the Corsairs, owning a 2.17 earned run average. In 148.2 innings pitched, she allowed 68 runs (46 earned) on 156 hits. She struck out 70 batters and surrendered 35 walks. An All-Little East First Team honoree, Crawford was 15-9 on the season, recording 13 complete games with one shutout and three saves to her credit.
UMass Dartmouth concluded its season with a 33-13 overall record, going 11-5 in the Little East. It was a historic season for the Corsairs, who batted back from an opening loss to win five straight enroute to their second Little East Championship title. The squad went to the NCAA Regional Championship – hosted at #10 WPI – defeating #18 Stockton, 12-2 for its first-ever win in NCAA Tournament history, followed by back-to-back wins over the host Engineers to win their first-ever NCAA Regional Championship title.
The Corsairs made their first appearance in program history at the 2026 NCAA Tournament Super Regionals, shouldering a pair of tough losses to the University of Mount Union to conclude their incredible season last week. UMD's 33 wins tied a program record, while five were tabbed to All-LEC Teams.
