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NEWARK, Del. - - The national spotlight continues to shine on the Wilmington University softball team as a trio of Wildcats were named All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA).
The trio became the sixth, seventh, and eighth All-Americans in program history, with Sara Miller repeating in 2024, and being named a Third Team D2CCA All-American in 2023.
Tristyn Stewart represents the Wildcats on both organizations' All-American teams, earning Second Team NFCA All-American and Third Team D2CCA All-American. Sara Miller repeats as an All-American in 2024, earning Third Team honors by the NFCA. Kylee Gunkel, the D2CCA East Region Pitcher of the Year, was named a D2CCA Honorable Mention All-American for her work in the circle this season.
Trirstyn Stewart also becomes the second Wildcat in program history to earn the New Balance/NFCA Golden Shoe Award, joining Rosa'Lynn Burton in 2019. The Golden Shoe Award is earned for the highest stolen base percentage with the most successful stolen bases taken into account. She went 54-for-56 in stolen bases this season, including a stretch in which she stole 38 consecutive bags from March 16 to May 15.
The junior outfielder from Centreville, Maryland, Tristyn Stewart has been the catalyst to the Wildcats offense all season long, leading the team with 81 hits, 57 runs scored, and 54 stolen bases. She is also second on the team with a .424 batting average and a .455 on-base percentage.
Once Stewart and the top of the lineup reached base, senior utility Sara Miller (Clayton, Del.) typically brought them home. Miller leads the team with 63 runs batted in, hitting 12 doubles, and five triples, and tying her own single-season program record with 10 homers. She finished with a .370 batting average, a .422 on-base percentage, and a .685 slugging percentage, totaling a 1.107 OPS for the season. Miller is only the second Wildcat to ever be named in All-American in two separate seasons (Rosa'Lynn Burton).
Junior pitcher Kylee Gunkel (Highland, Md.) had another career year in the circle for the Wildcats, going 22-6 overall and becoming the Wildcat to be voted the D2CCA East Region Pitcher of the Year. In 181 innings this season, Gunkel allowed 105 hits while striking out 105 batters. She collected a 1.55 earned run average and a 1.08 WHIP, tossing 20 complete games with eight shutouts. She threw four complete game shutouts in the postseason alone this year. She is just the third Wildcat pitcher to be named All-American and the first since Chelsea Botsch in 2015. The other, Katie Warrington, was just inducted into the CACC Hall of Fame earlier this year.
The trio of All-Americans led the Wildcats back to the NCAA Division II Softball Championships this year, setting a new school record with 46 wins. They became the first team to win a game at the National site in the University's NCAA era.