WINTHROP, Mass.- The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced its end-of-season honors Tuesday afternoon for softball, which includes two representatives from the Norwich Softball Team on the first team, including sophomore shortstop Madison DeCota (Strafford, N.H.) and senior first baseman Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.). They become the first first-team honorees for the Cadets since Rachel Johnson in 2017.

DeCota followed up a stellar first-year campaign in 2024, which earned her GNAC Rookie of the Year honors, with a strong sophomore season. She finished the year second in the conference in both batting average (.452) and slugging percentage (.753), along with eleventh in on-base percentage (.461) and sixth in home runs (4). After only two seasons in maroon and gold, DeCota currently sits second in program history in career batting average (.458), third in slugging percentage (.673), and fourth in on-base percentage (.473).

"Coming off a fantastic Rookie season, having earned GNAC Rookie of the Year, Madison did not disappoint this year," Head Coach Jacqueline Patts '00 said. "Her competitive spirit continues to drive her work ethic, and as a result, leads the team offensively and defensively.  Madison is also a workhorse on the mound, throwing the most innings and earning key victories along the way.  I'm excited to see her progress in her remaining two seasons."

McGinn had the best statistical season of her four-year career in 2025, with career highs in nearly every offensive category, including reaching the 100-hit milestone in the season finale. Her .397 batting average put McGinn fourteenth in the GNAC, while her .676 slugging percentage was fourth in the conference. Defensively, she recorded 129 putouts (fifteenth) and sported a .993 fielding percentage (thirteenth).

"Maren, our co-captain this season, was one of our top all-around and impactful players for our team," said Patts. "In the big moments, Maren produced offensively with the timely hits, driving in base runners. Defensively, with almost a perfect fielding percentage, she was among the league leaders. Her ability to play the position, pick balls, and run down foul balls made her stand out. Maren was a great teammate and leader for our team, and I am thrilled to celebrate this terrific acknowledgement and end to her collegiate softball career."

Fellow senior captain Rachel Kempf (Warwick, R.I.) rounds out the end-of-season honors after earning GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team recognition as an individual who leads by example on and off the field.

The Cadets finished their season winning two of their last four home games against Dean and Lasell.