Heidelbauer and Steen named CSC Academic All-Americans
AUSTIN, Texas - Megan Heidelbauer and Ashlyn Steen of Simpson softball were recognized by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) as first team Academic All-Americans for back-to-back years on Tuesday.
The award marks the 12th and 13th time the softball program has been recognized with Academic All-American honors in team history. The pair became the first back-to-back first team Academic All-Americans in program history since Kelly Schade's honors in 1998 and 1999.
Heidelbauer, a senior from Marion, Iowa is an environmental science major with a staggering 3.93 GPA while Steen, a senior from Mount Vernon, Iowa is a political science major with a near-perfect 3.97 GPA.
Steen continued to add to her list of season accolades where she was named NFCA second team All-American and first team All-Region, the 2026 A-R-C Position Player of the Year and first team All-Conference. Steen led the way with a .487/.578/.776 slash line along with a school single season record in hits (74), runs (70), and stolen bases (45).
Heidelbauer wrapped up an impressive senior year after being named NFCA first team All-Region, and first team A-R-C All-Conference. On the year, Heidelbauer broke her own school record for most RBIs in a single season with 69 while hitting .414 with 10 home runs and 53 runs scored.
As a team, Simpson capped off a historic 2026 season with a run to the final four of the Women's College World Series, the longest postseason run since the team's 1999 National Championship. The Storm finished with 41 victories, the most since 2000, along with winning the A-R-C Tournament for the first time in program history.
Simpson Softball Academic All-Americans
2026 — Megan Heidelbauer, 1st team
2026 — Ashlyn Steen, 1st team
2025 — Megan Heidelbauer, 1st team
2025 — Ashlyn Steen, 1st team
2023 — Maddie Luderman, 1st team
2018 — Ashley Allen, 2nd team
2005 — Kate Brandt, 1st team
2004 — Kate Brandt, 2nd team
1999 — Kelly Schade, 1st team
1998 — Kelly Schade, 1st team
1997 — Kelly Schade, 2nd team
1990 — Michelle Bottorff, 3rd team
1990 — Janel Yilek, 3rd team
