BRIDGEWATER, N.J. – The Northeast Conference announced their All-NEC honors and major awards for the 2025 softball season on Wednesday. The FDU Knights were well represented, bringing home two major awards, and several All-NEC Honors.

Brooklyn Shroyer was named NEC Pitcher of the Year, and freshman Madison Rishel was named NEC Rookie of the Year. Shroyer and Rishel were also named to the All-NEC First Team.

Julia Swan was also named to the All-NEC First Team.

The Knights had four selections to the All-NEC Second Team. Erika Barela and Brianna Holguin both received honors, and Kailee O'Sullivan earned two spots on the team, at both first base and utility.

Rishel, O'Sullivan, and Holguin were all also named to the NEC All-Rookie team. 

Shroyer wins the conference's Pitcher of the Year award following a dominant sophomore campaign. The San Dimas, CA native paced the conference in both ERA and strikeouts while leading an FDU team that clinched the #3 seed in the NEC Tournament. Shroyer finished the regular season with a dazzling 2.34 ERA, and was tied for the NEC lead in strikeouts with 157. She also allowed the lowest batting average of any NEC pitcher, with opponents hitting just .217 against her on the season. Shroyer twirled 11 complete games, three of those being shutouts. Her season was highlighted by a monstrous 22-strikeout, nine-inning performance against Mercyhurst on 3/22.

Shroyer is the first pitcher in FDU history to be named the NEC Pitcher of the Year. She also earned a spot on the All-NEC First Team for the second season in a row.

Madison Rishel was named the NEC Rookie of the Year following a dazzling freshman campaign. The Knights have now won each of the past two NEC Rookie of the Year Awards, as Shroyer took home the honor in 2024. Rishel's award comes following a debut season in which she hit a stellar .414, leading the Knights. The mark led all NEC rookies, and ranked second amongst all players in the conference. Rishel held down the leadoff spot for the Knights throughout the season, starting 45 of the Knights' 48 games on the year. The Strongsville, OH native collected 70 hits on the season, which led all NEC players. She also scored 38 runs, the second-most by any player in the conference. Rishel was also one of the biggest threats on the basepaths in the conference. She ranked second among all NEC players with 17 stolen bases on the season.

In addition to being named Rookie of the Year, Rishel was named to the All-NEC First Team, as well as the NEC All-Rookie Team.

Julia Swan joins Shroyer and Rishel on the All-NEC First Team, following a spectacular campaign in her senior year. Swan pitched to a 2.79 ERA, third best of any pitcher in the conference, and formed one of the most dominant tandems in the country alongside Brooklyn Shroyer. Swan hurled 120.1 innings for the Burgundy and Blue, and struck out 116 batters along the way. On April 4 against CCSU, she etched her name into FDU history, as she threw the third no-hitter in FDU program history. It is the first time in Swan's career that she has earned a postseason honor.

The Knights picked up several more honors on the All-NEC Second Team. Erika Barela earned a spot on the squad following a breakout sophomore campaign. 

Barela hit an excellent .295 on the season, holding down a spot in the heart of the Knights' order. She led FDU with three home runs on the season, and drove in 27 runs across 44 games played. Barela was also one of the most disciplined players in all of the Northeast Conference, striking out just 11 times in 139 at-bats.

Freshmen Brianna Holguin and Kailee O'Sullivan joined Barela on the second team following stellar collegiate debuts. Holguin held down the starting second base spot for the Knights as a rookie, hitting .326 in her rookie campaign. Holguin had the eighth-most hits in the NEC with 43, and led the Knights with 22 walks. The Anaheim, CA native backed up her offensive prowess with stellar defensive play, flashing the leather in the middle infield for the Knights.

O'Sullivan put together a dominant offensive campaign for FDU in her first season as a collegiate athlete, immediately becoming one of the most feared bats in the NEC. The Springfield, IL native ranked third in the conference in batting average, hits, and RBI. Her 35 RBIs led all Knights, as did her slugging percentage of .521, and OPS of .940. 

Holguin and O'Sullivan were both named to the NEC All-Rookie Team as well.

The Knights will look to add more hardware to their trophy case when they compete in the NEC Tournament, hosted by LIU in Brooklyn, N.Y. FDU enters the postseason as the #3 seed, and will face #2 Saint Francis in an opening round matchup on Thursday, May 8 at 3:00 p.m.