Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

A pair of area softball players swept the Mississippi Valley Conference Divisional player of the year honors for the pandemic shortened 2020 season.

One was a repeat winner that is already considered among the top players in the state the other a breakthrough star that burst onto the scene as one of the state’s most dominant players this summer.

City High junior Ayana Lindsey was named the Mississippi Division athlete of the year for the second consecutive season while Liberty High junior Kara Maiers was tabbed Valley Division athlete of the year when the conference announced its postseason teams on Wednesday.

Lindsey earned athlete of the year honors after leading the state in home runs through the regular season for the second year in a row.

Already a four-time, first-team all-divisional pick, Lindsey hit .500 this season with 12 home runs, 31 RBI and a team-high 39 runs while helping the Little Hawks to an 18-5 record.

Among the best all-around players in the state Lindsey also posted an 8-5 record and 2.25 ERA in the circle while striking out 75 in 74 2/3 innings.

Maiers was the breakthrough performer of the MVC and one of the biggest breakout stars in the state this season posting a 10-3 record and a .76 ERA in 92 1/3 innings.

An honorable mention all Valley-divisional selection as a sophomore Maiers emerged as one of the most dominant pitchers in the state this season.

The junior right-hander struck out 155 in 92 1/3 innings and posted two no-hitters and a perfect game in her final nine starts of the season.

Maiers won eight of her final nine starts of the season, the lone loss a masterful performance in a 1-0 11 inning loss to second-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy in the regional final.

Maiers joined West High senior Kiahna Hill as the lone unanimous first-team selections in the Valley Division.

Hill was a first-team selection for the first time after leading West High with a .423 batting average, 10 doubles, 17 stolen bases and 20 RBI.

Liberty High senior outfield Brylee Klosterman joined Maiers on the Valley Division first team after leading the Lightning in batting average (.450), runs (26), walks (16), triples (6) and home runs (5) and ranking second on the team with 18 RBI.

Klosterman was a four-time first-team MVC selection after earning second-team honors as an eighth-grader.

Liberty High junior Miranda Jones and eighth-grader Mischa Reiners were both second team picks in the Valley division along with West High senior Eva Burbidge.

West High juniors Liv Williams and Rylee Goodfellow earned honorable mention honors along with Liberty High junior Tiffany Jones and Lightning sophomore Kinsley Robertson.

City High put four players on the Mississippi Division first team as juniors Carey Koenig and Ella Cook and senior Sydney Fellows joined Lindsey.

A unanimous first-team pick, Koenig earned first-team honors for the third consecutive season after tying with Lindsey for the state lead with 12 home runs.

Koenig hit .484 with 20 extra-base hits, scored 29 runs and drove in a team-high 37.

Cook and Fellows each earned first-team honors for the second consecutive season.

Fellows hit .380 with two home runs and 17 RBI and scored 21 runs while Cook batted .333 with seven home runs and 23 RBI and ranked second on the team with 33 runs scored and first with 15 walks.

Seniors Keli Potter and Brooke Bormann each earned second-team honors for City High along with sophomore Makayla Ribble while senior Maggie Glenn and sophomore Elyse Rios were honorable mention picks for the Little Hawks.

Mississippi Valley Conference All-Division Softball

Mississippi Division

Athlete of the year – Ayana Lindsey, Jr., City High

Coach of the year – Jeff Koenig, City High

First team – *Carey Koenig, Jr., City High; *Ayana Lindsey, Jr., City High; Ella Cook, Jr., City High; Sydney Fellows, Sr., City High; Hannah Ironside, Jr., Cedar Rapids Prairie; Jensyn Jones, Soph., Cedar Rapids Prairie; Kya Loffswold, Jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Kennedy Oleson, Jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Briona Charipar, Jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; *Sydney Kennedy, Jr., Western Dubuque; Sara Horsfield, Jr., Western Dubuque; Joselyn Card-Stocks, Sr., Waterloo East

Second team – Keli Potter, Sr., City High; Brooke Bormann, Sr., City High; Makayla Ribble, Soph., City High; Miranda Farr, Jr., Cedar Rapids Prairie; Amaya Snyder, Jr., Cedar Rapids Prairie; Duanna Coyle, Fr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Maggie Conrad, Jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Jacie Walters, Sr., Western Dubuque; Kenidi Adams, Sr., Waterloo East; Jayden Bentley, Jr., Waterloo East; Cyrah Rasmussen, Soph., Cedar Falls; Aliyah Johnson, Soph., Dubuque Senior

Honorable mention – Lex Hesse, Jr., Cedar Falls; Gabrielle Townsend, Fr., Cedar Falls; Alexis Barden, Soph., Cedar Rapids Prairie; Gabby Robinson, Sr., Cedar Rapids Prairie; Sky Monty, Jr., Cedar Rapids Washington; Janaya Dobbs, Fr., Cedar Rapids Washington; Grace Zaugg, Jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Brielle Bastion, Soph., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Emma Link, Jr., Dubuque Senior; Sophie Link, 8^th, Dubuque Senior; Maggie Glenn, Sr., City High; Elyse Rios, Soph., City High; Ella Link, Sr., Western Dubuque; Emma Gile, Sr., Western Dubuque; Sydney Magnuson, Jr., Waterloo East; Maysen Bruess, Soph., Waterloo East

Valley Division

Athlete of the year – Kara Maiers, Jr., Liberty High

Coach of the year – Maddison LeClere, Cedar Rapids Kennedy

First team – Addy Albert, Fr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Jayme Scheck, Jr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Kaylin Kinney, Sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Lydia Ettema, Fr., Dubuque Hempstead; Micki Blean, Sr., Dubuque Hempstead; Malarie Huseman, Sr., Dubuque Hempstead; Anna Chapman, Jr., Dubuque Wahlert; Brylee Klosterman, Sr., Liberty High; *Kara Maiers, Jr., Liberty High; *Kiahna Hill, Sr., West High; Kennedy Rentschler, Sr., Linn-Mar; Brianna McPoland, Jr., Waterloo West

Second team – Taylor Robinson, Fr., Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Aliyah Walker, Jr., Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Abby Spore, Sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Alyssa Martin, Sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Keaton Gerber, Soph., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Mya Dodge, Jr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Kaylie Springer, Sr., Dubuque Hempstead; Jadyn Glab, Fr., Dubuque Hempstead; Maria Roth, Fr., Dubuque Wahlert; Miranda Jones, Jr., Liberty High; Mischa Reiners, 8^th, Liberty High; Eva Burbidge, Sr., West High

Honorable mention – Skyler Phelps, Jr., Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Kelsey Palmer, Soph., Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Mary Krystofiak, Sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Addie Parker, Jr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Peyton Paulsen, Fr., Dubuque Hempstead; Emalee Ryder, Sr., Dubuque Hempstead; Isabelle Pfeiffer, Soph., Dubuque Wahlert; Paige Hummel, Sr., Dubuque Wahlert; Kinsley Robertson, Soph., Liberty High; Tiffany Jones, Jr., Liberty High; Liv Williams, Jr., West High; Rylee Goodfellow, Jr., West High; Allie Long, Jr., Linn-Mar; Caelynn Obleton, Soph., Linn-Mar; Bre’Ann Olsson, Sr., Waterloo West; Haley Christoffer, Jr., Waterloo West

*- Unanimous selection

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