The NFCA announced on Thursday its top 10 finalists for 2026 NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, May 26, prior to the start of the 2026 NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.

Nine different universities and four conferences are represented on this year’s list.

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Sooners Have Two of the Final 10

Oklahoma is the lone program with two student-athletes in Kai Minor and Kendall Wells, bringing the Sooners’ Top 10 finalist total to 10, the most of any program.

It marks the second time two Sooners have made the final 10 (2021) and the sixth time since the induction of the award in 2014… the others were LSU (2025), Texas (2024), UCLA (2019) and Florida (2016).

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Conference Representation: SEC (4), Big Ten (2), Big 12 (1) and ACC (1)

Along with Minor and Well, the other players representing the SEC are Ole Miss’s Madi George and Alabama’s Vic Moten.

The Big Ten matched the SEC with four honorees – UCLA’s Bri Alejandre, Nebraska’s Alexis Jensen, Northwestern’s Marina Mason and Penn State’s Allison Oneacre.

Kansas’s Ella Boyer and Virginia Tech’s Bree Carrico represented the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference with one each.

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UCLA & Alabama Repeats, Bruins Lead with Nine Top 10 Finalists

Alejandre (UCLA) and Moten (Alabama) represent the only programs with repeat nods.

UCLA brought its total to nine Top 10 recipients, while Moten is the fourth for the Crimson Tide.

Carrico and Mason are the third Hokie and Wildcat to be recognized with George and Oneacre landing the second nod for their institutions. Boyer and Jensen are the first honorees for the Jayhawks and Huskers, respectively.

At the time of the release, Boyer (Big 12), who set the program’s single-season freshman home run record (18) and Carrico (ACC) were named their league’s freshman of the year as well to the all-conference first team.

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Key Dates: May 20 (Final 3 Announced); May 26 (Winner Revealed)

On May 20, the three finalists will be released with the winner being revealed on May 26. 

The top 10 list, along with the top three and winner, are voted on by the NFCA Division I All-America Committee. To be eligible, student-athletes must be nominated by their member head coach and in their first year of NCAA Division I collegiate competition as a true freshman or redshirt freshman.

The NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award was created in 2014 to honor outstanding athletic achievement among Division I freshmen softball student-athletes.

The NFCA awards Freshman of the Year plaudits to a student-athlete from NCAA DI, NCAA DII, NCAA DIII and NAIA.

For more information about all NFCA Awards, visit nfca.org.

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Previous NFCA D1 Freshman of the Year Winners

• 2025: Taylor Shumaker (Florida)
• 2024: Jaysoni Beachum (Florida State)
• 2023: NiJaree Canady (Stanford)
• 2022: Jordy Bahl (Oklahoma)
• 2021: Tiare Jennings (Oklahoma)
• 2020: no award due to COVID season cancellation
• 2019: Danielle Williams (Northwestern)
• 2018: Jocelyn Alo (Oklahoma)
• 2017: Rachel Garcia (UCLA)
• 2016: Amanda Lorenz (Florida)
• 2015: Paige Parker (Oklahoma)
• 2014: Annie Aldrete (Tennessee) & Kasey Cooper (Auburn)

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The following is information is added to the NFCA release by Line Drive Media:

Each of the 10 Finalists Travel Ball Teams

• Bri Alejandre: Corona Angels – Tyson
• Ella Boyer: Texas Blaze United
• Bree Carrico: National – Coleman
• Madi George: Texas Blaze – Robertson
• Kai Minor: OC Batbusters – Stith
• Vic Moten: Alabama Thunderbolts – Sherman/Burke
• Alexis Jensen: Nebraska Gold
• Marina Mason: Carolina Elite – Genovese
• Allison Oneacre: Athletics Gold – Tamborra
• Kendall Wells: Georgia Impact – Sampson/Gusaeff