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Princeton University Athletics
Lisa Van Ackeren is the Ivy League Coach of the Year for the fifth time.
Photo by: Sideline Photos, LLC
Van Ackeren Earns Coach of the Year as Three First-Teamers Lead Tigers' All-Ivy Haul
May 08, 2024 | Softball
For the fifth time in the eight seasons in which the honor has been awarded during her tenure leading the Princeton softball team, head coach Lisa Van Ackeren has been named the Ivy League Coach of the Year, leading a slate of All-Ivy League honorees that includes three first-teamers in Sonia Zhang, Lauren Sablone and Julia Dumais, a second-teamer in Sophia Marsalo, an honorable mention in Allison Ha, and Caitlin Bish as the Academic All-Ivy honoree.
Van Ackeren also earned Coach of the Year honors in 2016, 2017, 2022 and 2023, all years in which Princeton won the Ivy League title as it did this year. Van Ackeren became Princeton's second-winningest coach in program history earlier this season and also surpassed the career 200-win mark, all at Princeton. The Tigers enter the Ivy League Tournament with 26 wins on the season, the fourth-most in her tenure and just three wins off the 29 that Princeton won last season, the most in Van Ackeren's time at Princeton.
Zhang, a freshman third baseman and a unanimous first-teamer, leads the Ivy League in on-base percentage (.522), stands second in batting average (.411), third in slugging percentage (.688), second in OPS (1.210), first in runs scored (40), third in hits (46), and third in stolen bases (13). Zhang would be the first Tiger rookie in program history to hit .400 for a full season.
Sablone, a junior outfielder and also a unanimous first-teamer, is second in the Ivy in hits (49), third in RBI (34), sixth in batting average (.377), and tied for fourth in runs scored (30). Sablone and Zhang co-lead the team with six home runs, and Sablone's sixth came on the last pitch of the regular season as the three-run home run was a walkoff that gave Princeton a share of the Ivy League title. The honor is Sablone's second All-Ivy League recognition, having earned second-team honors in 2022.
Dumais, a sophomore utility player who splits time between catcher and third base, is seventh in the Ivy in on-base percentage (.441), ninth in OPS (.989), second in walks (24), eighth in runs scored (26), and fifth in stolen bases (11). Dumais was a second-team All-Ivy pick in 2023.
Marsalo, a junior first baseman, is hitting .304 on the season with six doubles and a triple to slug .405 and an OPS of .796. Marsalo was a first-team All-Ivy honoree in 2022, earning Ivy Rookie of the Year honors that season.
Ha, a junior outfielder, is three for three in earning All-Ivy honors, landing a first-team spot in 2022 and second-team recognition in 2023. Ha stands fourth on the team with a .306 batting average, adding nine doubles, two triples and three homers for a .488 slugging percentage, and with an .841 OPS.
Bish, a senior neuroscience major who has split time between first and second base, stands sixth on the team with a .271 batting average, playing in 33 games with 27 starts on the season.
Van Ackeren also earned Coach of the Year honors in 2016, 2017, 2022 and 2023, all years in which Princeton won the Ivy League title as it did this year. Van Ackeren became Princeton's second-winningest coach in program history earlier this season and also surpassed the career 200-win mark, all at Princeton. The Tigers enter the Ivy League Tournament with 26 wins on the season, the fourth-most in her tenure and just three wins off the 29 that Princeton won last season, the most in Van Ackeren's time at Princeton.
Zhang, a freshman third baseman and a unanimous first-teamer, leads the Ivy League in on-base percentage (.522), stands second in batting average (.411), third in slugging percentage (.688), second in OPS (1.210), first in runs scored (40), third in hits (46), and third in stolen bases (13). Zhang would be the first Tiger rookie in program history to hit .400 for a full season.
Sablone, a junior outfielder and also a unanimous first-teamer, is second in the Ivy in hits (49), third in RBI (34), sixth in batting average (.377), and tied for fourth in runs scored (30). Sablone and Zhang co-lead the team with six home runs, and Sablone's sixth came on the last pitch of the regular season as the three-run home run was a walkoff that gave Princeton a share of the Ivy League title. The honor is Sablone's second All-Ivy League recognition, having earned second-team honors in 2022.
Dumais, a sophomore utility player who splits time between catcher and third base, is seventh in the Ivy in on-base percentage (.441), ninth in OPS (.989), second in walks (24), eighth in runs scored (26), and fifth in stolen bases (11). Dumais was a second-team All-Ivy pick in 2023.
Marsalo, a junior first baseman, is hitting .304 on the season with six doubles and a triple to slug .405 and an OPS of .796. Marsalo was a first-team All-Ivy honoree in 2022, earning Ivy Rookie of the Year honors that season.
Ha, a junior outfielder, is three for three in earning All-Ivy honors, landing a first-team spot in 2022 and second-team recognition in 2023. Ha stands fourth on the team with a .306 batting average, adding nine doubles, two triples and three homers for a .488 slugging percentage, and with an .841 OPS.
Bish, a senior neuroscience major who has split time between first and second base, stands sixth on the team with a .271 batting average, playing in 33 games with 27 starts on the season.
Players Mentioned
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