AUSTIN, Texas — Panther softball third baseman Kate Lappe has been selected to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Third Team, as announced by CSC on Tuesday. Lappe also joins Lauren Heinsch (women's soccer), Kira Fallert (volleyball), and Tytan Anderson (men's basketball) as Northern Iowa's fourth Academic All-American honoree this year.

The 2025 MVC Most Valuable Player, Kate Lappe earns CSC Academic All-America honors for the first time for the Panther softball team since 2000 with a 3.72 GPA in accounting and finance. A junior from Bondurant, Iowa, Lappe was a Preseason All-MVC Third Base selection and was named MVC Player of the Week twice and D1Softball.com National Player of the Week once during the 2025 regular season. She was named All-MVC First Team Third Base and MVC All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of the season. 

Lappe finished the 2025 campaign with 61 hits, 34 runs, and 48 RBIs for a .433 batting average and a .915 slugging percentage. Her 19 home runs are tied for second on UNI's single-season home runs record list while her batting average and slugging percentage are solo-second in each single-season category along with her .542 on-base percentage. Through the MVC Tournament, Lappe led the league in batting average, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and total bases and was second in home runs per game, RBIs, RBIs per game, and total walks.

 

UNI's All-Time CSC Academic All-Americans

• 1974 - Paul James (Football) - First Team
• 1977 - Mark Enright (Men's Basketball) - Honorable Mention
• 1977 - Mike Kemp (Men's Basketball) - Honorable Mention
• 1978 - Tim Weber (Baseball) - Second Team
• 1980 - Owen Docktor (Football) - Second Team
• 1982 - Ray Storck (Men's Basketball) - Honorable Mention
• 1984 - Randy Kraayenbrink (Men's Basketball) - Second Team
• 1985 - Mary Bernhardt (Volleyball) - First Team
• 1986 - Mary Bernhardt (Volleyball) - First Team
• 1987 - Mary Bernhardt (Volleyball) - First Team
• 1989 - Kris Schroeder (Volleyball) - Second Team
• 1991 - Mike Schulte (Football) - Second Team
• 1992 - Gary Steffensmeier (Wrestling) - Third Team
• 1992 - Karen Vande Voort (Softball) - Third Team
• 1994 - Karen Vande Voort (Softball) - Second Team
• 1995 - Kate Galer (Volleyball) - Third Team
• 1996 - Kate Galer (Volleyball) - First Team
• 1998 - Jon Judisch (Track & Field) - Third Team
• 1999 - Brad Meester (Football) - First Team
• 2000 - Levente Timar (Track & Field) - Third Team
• 2000 - Kylie Sloan (Softball) - Third Team
• 2001 - Ryan Brunner (Baseball) - Third Team
• 2001 - Levente Timar (Track & Field) - Third Team
• 2002 - Travus Welsch (Baseball) - Third Team
• 2002 - Balaza Csillag (Track & Field/Cross Country) - Third Team
• 2002 - Jill Arganbright (Volleyball) - Second Team
• 2003 - Dirk Homewood (Track & Field/Cross Country) - First Team
• 2003 - Jill Arganbright (Volleyball) - First Team
• 2003 - Jill Arganbright (Volleyball) -First Team
• 2003 - Molly O'Brien (Volleyball) - Second Team
• 2003 - Katie Miller (Women's Basketball) - Third Team
• 2004 - Dirk Homewood (Track & Field/Cross Country) - Second Team
• 2005 - Dirk Homewood (Track & Field/Cross Country) - First Team
• 2006 - James Lindgren (Football) - First Team
• 2007 - Nick Baima (Wrestling) - Third Team
• 2008 - Mat Clark (Track & Field/Cross Country) - First Team
• 2008 - Josh Mahoney (Football) - Second Team
• 2009 - Mat Clark (Track & Field/Cross Country) - First Team
• 2009 - Ryan Grenko (Track & Field/Cross Country) - Second Team
• 2009- Josh Mahoney (Football) - First Team
• 2010 - Ben Boothby (Football) - Second Team
• 2011 - Ben Boothby (Football) - First Team
• 2011 - Jacqui Kalin (Women's Basketball) - Second Team
• 2013 - Jacqui Kalin (Women's Basketball) - First Team
• 2013 - Shelby Kintzel (Volleyball) - First Team
• 2013 - Macy Ubben (Volleyball) - Second Team
• 2015 - Holly Salzbrenner (Track & Field/Cross Country) - Third Team
• 2015 - Isaac Ales (Football) - Second Team
• 2015 - Jacob Rathmacher (Football) - First Team
• 2015 - Karter Schult (Football) - First Team
• 2016 - Karter Schult (Football) - First Team
• 2017 - Marcus Weymiller (Football) - Second Team
• 2018 - Alex Jackson (Track & Field/Cross Country) - First Team
• 2018 - Marcus Weymiller (Football) - First Team
• 2019 - Alex Jackson (Track & Field/Cross Country) - First Team
• 2022 - AJ Green (Men's Basketball) - Second Team
• 2023 - Tyrell Gordon (Wrestling) - Third Team
• 2024 - Lauren Heinsch (Women's Soccer) - Second Team
• 2024 - Kira Fallert (Volleyball) - Second Team
• 2025 - Tytan Anderson (Men's Basketball) - Second Team
• 2025 - Kate Lappe (Softball) - Third Team

 

ABOUT COLLEGE SPORTS COMMUNICATORS
College Sports Communicators was founded in 1957 and is a 3,200+ member national association for strategic, creative and digital communicators across intercollegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. 

From its founding in 1957 until the 2022 name change, the organization was known as College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The organization, which celebrated its 65th year during the 2021-22 academic year, is the second oldest management association in all of intercollegiate athletics. College Sports Communicators became an affiliated partner with NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics) in December of 2008.

UNI softball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Softball), X (@UNISoftball), and on Instagram (@unisoftball). The 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.