Bronchos Earn NFCA Honor, 15 Student-Athletes Recognized

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Central Oklahoma brought home the 2025-26 Easton/NFCA Team GPA award and had 15 student-athletes named Scholar Athlete All-America.

"Getting the team award is great and it's a reflection of the hard work our young women put in," UCO head softball coach Sam Maples said. "To have 15 student-athletes earn those honors is a big deal. They work so hard on the field to help us compete at a high level and they're working even harder in the classroom and in study hall to be the best they can be."

For programs to be eligible for the Team GPA award, all student-athletes on the roster must be considered and the team needs higher than a 3.0 combined GPA. UCO's team GPA was 3.50 this past year. Individuals must achieve a 3.5 or better cumulative GPA for the 2025-26 academic year.

Rylee Anglen, Kirstyn Barnard, Shelby Beard, Bonnie Childs, Hannah Demoff, Haley Gallo, Sydney Griffin, Jenna Jobe, Rylee Lemos, Brooklyn Lyles, Sherri Mason, McKenzie Niehus, Lilli Piersons, and Brooklyn Ryan were all named Easton/NFCA Scholar-Athlete All-Americans.

Central Oklahoma went 46-16 in 2026 under first-year head coach Maples. The Bronchos finished third in the MIAA and reached the semifinals of the MIAA Softball Championship. UCO qualified for the NCAA Division II Softball Championship and won the Central Region II tournament and were one game away from the winning the regional title in Joplin to advance to the national finals.

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Players Mentioned

#9 Rylee Anglen: IF; 5' 3"; Senior; L/R

#11 Shelby Beard: P; 5' 9"; Junior; R/R

#8 Rylee Lemos: OF; 5' 6"; Senior; L/R

#13 Brooklyn Lyles: IF; 5' 10"; Sophomore; R/R

#21 Sherri Mason: UT; 5' 4"; Senior; R/R

#7 Brooklyn Ryan: OF; 5' 4"; Junior; R/R

#10 Kirstyn Barnard: P; 5' 3"; Freshman; R/R

#4 Bonnie Childs: IF; 5' 3"; Freshman; R/R

#22 Haley Gallo: OF; 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R

#25 Sydney Griffin: P; 5' 11"; Freshman; R/R

Players Mentioned

#9 Rylee Anglen
: 5' 3"; Senior; L/R
: IF

#11 Shelby Beard
: 5' 9"; Junior; R/R
: P

#8 Rylee Lemos
: 5' 6"; Senior; L/R
: OF

#13 Brooklyn Lyles
: 5' 10"; Sophomore; R/R
: IF

#21 Sherri Mason
: 5' 4"; Senior; R/R
: UT

#7 Brooklyn Ryan
: 5' 4"; Junior; R/R
: OF

#10 Kirstyn Barnard
: 5' 3"; Freshman; R/R
: P

#4 Bonnie Childs
: 5' 3"; Freshman; R/R
: IF

#22 Haley Gallo
: 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R
: OF

#25 Sydney Griffin
: 5' 11"; Freshman; R/R
: P