Photo by Elon University Athletics
Mary Moss Wirt: In May, the Elon softball team won its first-ever Coastal Athletic Association Tournament championship. It was just the second postseason tournament championship in team history and its first since 2010. Elon defeated Campbell in consecutive games on May 10 at Littlejohn Stadium in Buies Creek. Wirt started both games at catcher against the Camels. She went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Elon’s 5-0 win in the opener. In the final game, Wirt went 2-for-2 with a run scored. Wirt was the only Hillsborough-based player to reach the NCAA Tournament this spring. Playing in the Columbia Regional, Elon lost the opener to South Carolina 5-2. Wirt scored a run in the second inning after reaching on a walk. Virginia ended the Phoenix’s season the following day. For her junior season, Wirt played in 39 games, starting 34. She hit .250 with seven RBIs.
Takia Nichols: Finishing her junior season at North Carolina Central, Nichols was named Academic All-District by College Sports Communicators. To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore and have at least a 3.5 grade point average and started at least 66% of their team’s games. Last spring, Nichols started 43 games for the Eagles and hit .204 with two home runs and 19 RBIs. Central finished 13-33 overall and 10-10 in the MEAC and lost to Morgan State and Norfolk State in the MEAC Tournament. Nichols is the all-time home run hitter in Cedar Ridge history.
Mia Davidson: Once again playing in Japan’s Diamond League, Davidson is catching for the Denso Bright Peagsus. Last month, Denso finished the first-half of its season 10-8. In that span, Davidson played in 12 games and is the top gaijin (foreign) hitter in the D League with a .292 batting average, tied for 14th in the league overall. She has two home runs and nine RBIs.
Carson Bradsher: In her first season at Division III Averett University, Brasher was the leading hitter on the team with a .453 average. She led the team with 40 runs scored, 73 hits, 82 total bases and 22 stolen bases. She also hit seven doubles and 12 RBIs. The Cougars finished the year 18-25, 8-14 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. In the ODAC Tournament, the Cougars lost to Virginia Wesleyan 9-1 in five innings. In a 13-12 win over Shenandoah University, Bradsher went 5-for-6. The University of Lynchburg defeated the Cougars 14-0 in five innings in an elimination game.
Ava Lowry: Division III North Carolina Wesleyan reached the championship series of the USA Conference Tournament, where they got swept in a best-of-three series against top-ranked Pfeiffer. Lowry started all 45 games for the Battling Bishops, hitting .240 with four home runs and 24 RBIs. Wesleyan finished 29-16 overall and came in second in the USA South Conference at 14-4. In the opening game against Pfeiffer, Lowry had two of the Bishops’ four hits.
Olivia Aitkin: In her junior season with Amherst College, Aitkin was selected to the CSC Academic All-District team. Aitkin is a Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought, as well as a political science double major. This season for the Mammoths, she started all 35 games and was second on the team with 66 put outs. She hit .123 with five RBIs. Amherst finished 17-19 overall, 7-11 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference.
Fiona Cunningham: The coach who led Cedar Ridge volleyball to the 2021 3A State Championship is now preparing for her first season leading a Division I college program. Cunningham was named the head coach at Le Moyne in April. Cunningham was the head coach at Cedar Ridge for three seasons, where she led the Red Wolves to three conference championships. They defeated North Iredell 3-1 for the 3A State Championship at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. After the 2022 season, Cunningham left to become an assistant at North Carolina Central. She spent last year as an assistant at East Carolina University. Now, Cunningham will take over the Dolphins program in the Northeast Conference.
