WASHINGTON – George Washington senior Ashley Corpuz was named the Atlantic 10 Softball Player of the Year as Fordham senior Kate McGuire was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year. Loyola Chicago head coach Alicia Abbott received the Coach of the Year award, while Ramblers freshman Anna Kiel was named Rookie of the Year. Dayton senior Izzy Kemp collected the Pitcher of the Year accolade, rounding out the five major awards.
The Atlantic 10 announced the superlative awards, All-Conference, All-Rookie, and All-Academic teams on Thursday ahead of second day action of the 2026 Betterment A-10 Softball Championship, taking place at Billiken Sports Center. The major awards, as well as the All-Conference and All-Rookie teams, were voted on by the league’s nine head coaches. The All-Academic team was chosen by the league’s softball communications directors.
Corpuz emerged as the league’s top power hitter, leading the conference with a .760 slugging percentage and 13 home runs. The Ladera Ranch, Calif. native ranked third in the A-10 in on-base percentage (0.547), fifth in batting average (.368), first in runs scored (46), ninth in RBIs (29), and third in walks (45). A two-time A-10 Player of the Week selection, Corpuz homered six times in a six-game stretch from Mar. 15-29 – helping push the Revolutionaries to a spot in the A-10 Championship field.
Earning All-Conference First Team accolades in 2025, Kemp continued to grow from previous success in 2026. The Westfield, Ind. native dominated opponents this season, leading the A-10 in earned run average (1.96), opposing batting average (.164), strikeouts (257), innings pitched (146.1), and wins (16). Despite making 23 starts on the mound, Kemp also made a difference from the bullpen – tallying four saves. The four-time A-10 Pitcher of the Week recorded 10 or more strikeouts in 14 games – including an 18-strikeout game against Fordham.
McGuire shined defensively for the Rams all season, providing a steady presence at the shortstop position. The Blue Point, N.Y. product recorded 78 putouts and a team-best 87 assists, recording a .971 fielding percentage. McGuire fielded 12 double plays for the Rams and helped Fordham lead the league in fielding percentage (.972) – limiting themselves to a conference-best 38 total errors as a team.
Kiel played a crucial role in Loyola Chicago’s regular season title, making an impact as a true freshman. The pitcher from South Elgin, Ill. led the Ramblers in wins (10), strikeouts (54), ERA (2.80), complete games (4), and saves (2). Kiel set a new career high with six strikeouts at George Mason, leading Loyola Chicago to a 3-1 victory,
In her seventh year with Loyola Chicago, the Ramblers achieved historic success. The Ramblers finished the regular season with a 26-22 overall record, going 18-6 in conference play to secure the program’s first-ever A-10 Regular Season Championship. This achievement came after Loyola Chicago was picked to finish sixth in the conference ahead of the season. Loyola Chicago will play its first game of the A-10 Championship, meeting No. 4 Fordham at 12 p.m. CT on Thursday, May 7.