NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference celebrates its 40th Anniversary throughout the 2020-21 academic year, continuing its mission to provide student-athletes the opportunity to succeed in both academics and athletics.
As part of its 40-year celebration, the league will highlight some of the best student-athletes in its four-decade history. MAAC Softball traces back to 1984, when Iona captured the first MAAC Championship. Since, Canisius College leads the conference with 12 conference titles overall, followed by the Gaels with six championships and La Salle College, a former MAAC member, with four.
Alison Higgs '05, Sarah Jackson '12, Eileen McCann '14, Maureen Shea '92 and Kristen Turner '17 represent Gael Nation on the MAAC 40
th Anniversary Softball Team.
ALISON HIGGS '05
Higgs is one of the top all-around players in Iona softball history, completing her career in 2005. At the time of her graduation, her name was etched throughout the Iona record books.
Higgs was top-10 in virtually every offensive category and top-five in every pitching category. She graduated as the program's all-time leader in at-bats (522) and tied for the most hits in Iona's history (164), and her 17 homeruns were tied for second-most. Inside the circle, Higgs' games pitched (96), victories (51), earned run average (1.34), strikeouts (512) and shutouts (15) were all program bests.
As of today, Higgs remains in the top-10 in many offensive categories and top-five in pitching categories. She still owns the program record in ERA (1.34) and holds single-season Iona records in wins (22), complete games (30), innings pitched (219.1), all of which she accomplished during the 2004 season.
Higgs was an All-MAAC First Teamer and the MAAC Player of the Year in 2004. Her historic career also saw her earn accolades such as All-Northeast Region First and Second Team, ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District I First Team and an NFCA All-American Scholar Athlete Award.
SARAH JACKSON '12
Jackson is a two-time MAAC Pitcher of the Year and a three-time All-MAAC First Team selection. She was an integral part of Iona winning three straight conference tournament championships from 2010 through 2012. Jackson earned Tournament MVP honors twice and MAAC All-Tournament Team recognition all three years, en route to three NCAA Regional appearances. She is just one of six players in league history to be named the MAAC Softball Championship MVP twice.
Jackson began her career with the Maroon & Gold by recording the fourth-most strikeouts (138) in the MAAC and pitching to the lowest ERA in the league (1.62). She was named the Co-MAAC Rookie of the Year in 2009 and a voted to the All-MAAC Second Team. Jackson earned the first of two MAAC Pitcher of the Year awards and two MAAC Championship Most Outstanding Performer honors in 2010, a season in which she hurled two no-hitters and a perfect game.
Currently, Jackson still owns program records in wins (62), strikeouts (802), complete games (81), shutouts (26), strikeout ratio (1.18/IP), games started (106) and innings pitched (677). She also holds single-season program records for games started, strikeouts and shutouts.
EILEEN MCCANN '14
McCann is the only player in program history with four MAAC Championships. She is Iona softball's most recent MAAC Player of the Year, earning the honor in her redshirt senior season in 2014.
McCann's Iona career began with a record-setting campaign. Her 11 homeruns in her rookie season back in 2010 set a new program record for freshmen. Her performance helped the Gaels to their first MAAC Championship since 1985 and first-ever NCAA Tournament bid.
The Maroon & Gold won titles in 2011 and 2012 as well, while McCann helped herself to a spot on the MAAC All-Tournament Team in '11 and an All-MAAC First Team selection in '12.
McCann's senior season was cut short just 16 games in, but she returned in 2014 and went on to win the MAAC Player of the Year and her fourth conference title. McCann also became the third player in program history to register a batting average above .400 in a single season, joining Alison Higgs '05 and Maureen Shea '92. Her .432 batting average in 2014 still stands as the program's best mark for a single season.
Other career accolades for McCann include ECAC Division I Softball All-Star First Team, CoSIDA All-Academic District 1 First Team, NFCA All-Region Second Team and NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete.
MAUREEN SHEA '92
Shea, a two-way player for Iona, is sprinkled throughout Iona's record book even decades after her playing career ended. Most notably, Shea owns the program's batting average title; her .366 career batting average still stands as the best in Iona's history.
Shea is one of three Gaels to hit over .400 in a single season, slashing .417 in her senior season. Shea's .417 average at the dish in 1992 was 18th best in the NCAA that season. Her career .620 career slugging percentage and 38 doubles stand as third best in program history. Shea drove in 102 runs, good for fourth most in Iona history, making her one of four players that reached triple digits in career RBIs.
Shea's career 2.04 earned run average is fifth lowest in program history and her 48 complete games in the circle stand tied for sixth most in a single career.
KRISTEN TURNER '17
Turner is the owner of the program-best marks in career hits (208), homeruns (44), RBIs (159), doubles (42) and slugging percentage (.648). She is also the only Gael to earn All-MAAC First Team distinction in every season of her playing career.
In her freshman season, Turner started all 41 regular season contests for the Gaels and led the league with 50 RBI (a single-season Iona record) and her 11 round-trippers (tied Iona rookie record) were second most in the conference. Turner was named the MAAC Rookie of the Year and was a key component in Iona winning its sixth MAAC Championship in 2014.
As a junior, Turner set the program's homerun record with her 34th career big fly and ended the season with 116 career RBIs to her credit, another new all-time record for Iona. Turner would end her Iona career inside the top-10 of four more categories.
Her other career accolades included ECAC Division I Softball All-Star Second Team, Senior CLASS Award candidate and NCAA Women of the Year nominee. Turner was also a pivotal piece in Iona's first-ever national postseason win over Campbell at the National Invitational Softball Championship in 2017. Turner's final hit of her career, which also happened to be the first triple of her career, came during the NISC and propelled her to a tie as the program's all-time hits leader.
Be sure to follow Iona College athletics on all social media platforms:
ICGaels: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (E-Mail Updates)
Iona Softball: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (E-Mail Updates)
