Sparkill, N.Y. - St. Thomas Aquinas College's Softball team, which burst onto the national NCAA Division II scene this season by earning its first-ever berth in the World Series, was rewarded today with the No. 8 ranking in this season's final 2026 National Fastpitch Coaches Association/GoRout Top 25 Coaches Poll. It is the program's first national ranking in its 47-year history.
The national ranking culminates a wondrous season for the Spartans, who finished 38-14 after a competitive showing in the Division II World Series in Chattanooga, Tennessee
"This team exceeded all of my expectations and pulled together to produce a season that we will all remember forever," said Head Coach Kristen Sullivan, who won the East Coast Conference (ECC) Coach of the Year award for the fifth straight season, also saw her coaching staff named the top unit in the East Region. "We lost our first six games, but we improved significantly over the course of the season and peaked at the right time. I am very proud of this talented group of young women."
The Spartans captured the respect of the national Division II circuit in a highly competitive 4-2 loss to eventual national champion St. Leo University in the first round of the World Series. St. Leo, the top-seeded team in the tournament and the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, went 5-0 in the World Series to earn its first national title. STAC lost a second-round 10-2 decision to West Texas A&M University, which spent three weeks in March ranked No. 1 nationally.
"It was a very positive experience for our players to compete against two of the premier Division II programs in the nation," said Sullivan, who will return both starting pitchers and five other starters in 2027. "We trailed St. Leo 2-0 in the sixth inning before a rain delay might have taken the wind out of our sails. Overall, it was truly special for our players to compete in such a prestigious NCAA tournament and leave with the confidence that they belonged among the best teams in the country."
The Spartans shattered team and individual records during their historic 2026 season. Their 38 wins, 23-game win streak, 18 regular-season ECC wins, and .741 winning percentage were all-time bests en route to their first East Region title.
Individually, Elyse Marcano (Middletown, N.Y.), Sofia Marella (Cranston, R.I.), Olivia Leon (Stony Point, N.Y.), Trinadey Santiago (Cheshire, Conn.) and Emma Grace Popp (Buffalo, N.Y.) had exceptional campaigns. Marcano finished her brilliant four-year career as the program's all-time leader in hits, runs and stolen bases. Marella set new program records with 18 homers and 63 RBI while Leon, at catcher, and Santiago, at third base, provided superb all-around play. Popp was named the ECC Co-Rookie of the Year after winning 19 games in her first collegiate season. Marella, Leon, Santiago and Popp were named first-team All ECC while Leon also earned a notable honor: selection to the NFCA All-East first team.
The Colorado combo of Lauren Falk (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Alyssa Haberstroh (Thornton, Colo.) was invaluable. Falk was named the Most Outstanding Player in the ECC tournament and finished the season with 19 wins. Haberstroh excelled throughout the postseason with her bat and glove. Her eighth-inning, grand slam home run against Assumption University in the deciding game of the Super Regional was memorable. Shortstop Adrianna Coira (San Juan, Puerto Rico) closed her four-year career with another solid offensive and defensive season.
The 2026 NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll Committee. The committee consists of 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the NCAA’s eight regions.