Former Newtown High School softball standout Kate Bowen, a junior at Manhattan College, was named the school’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year and was named First Team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). She also organized a Sandy Hook Tribute Game during the season.

The Manhattan team wore Sandy Hook T-shirts instead of jerseys for the game, and they sold shirts with 26 on the back, representing the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. The team raised $2,000 for the 26 Angels Foundation. Manhattan’s team also recognized the Sandy Hook students and other Newtown residents during a pregame ceremony, and the attendees ran out onto the field with the team during the announcement of the starting lineups. After the National Anthem, both teams and the Sandy Hook children joined in a circle for a 26-second moment of silence. Survivors of the December 14, 2012 attack threw out the ceremonial first pitches before Bowen threw the official first pitch.

Bowen, a pitcher and infielder, had the team’s lowest earned run average (3.81) and tossed ten complete games. She also led Manhattan with a .367 batting average. Manhattan went 21-25 overall ant posted a 9-7 record in the MAAC.