Five Grizzlies named Academic All-District

Five members of the Montana softball team were named Academic All-District on Tuesday by College Sports Communicators.

Recognized were senior Chloë Saxton, junior Madison Tarrant and sophomores JoJo Christiaens, Grace Lopez and Carah Sweet. Tarrant was named Academic All-District for the second time in her career.

To qualify for Academic All-District honors, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5, be at least a sophomore and meet the participation criteria.

For softball, nominees must have played in 90 percent of their team's games or started two-thirds. Pitchers must have made at least 17 appearances or pitched 35 innings.

Saxton, who received a degree in marketing a year ago and used the 2025-26 academic year to earn an MBA, has a GPA of 3.79.

She was the lone senior on a Montana team that jumped from eight wins in 2025 to 22 this past season and tied for second in the Big Sky Conference with a 9-6 league record.

Three times Academic All-Big Sky and an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete as a freshman, Saxton batted a career-best .306 in her final season as a Grizzly and had 18 extra-base hits.

Tarrant started 41 games at catcher as a junior, handling a pitching staff that was 80 percent new faces and new arms in 2026. She helped Montana's ERA drop from 7.88 in 2025 to 6.01 this past season.

Tarrant made five additional starts at designated player. She batted .258 on the season and drove in 21 as the Grizzlies scored their most runs since the 2016 season.

Tarrant, who has a 3.92 GPA as a journalism major, was Academic All-Big Sky and an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete as a freshman and sophomore, Academic All-District for the first time last year.

Christiaens has a 3.57 GPA as an integrative physiology major and was one of a handful of coach Stef Ewing's sophomores who helped spark Montana's year-over-year turnaround.

Christiaens had 10 hits in 54 at-bats as a freshman in 2025, totaling four runs scored, three extra-base hits and three runs batted in.

Christiaens, who made 23 starts at first base as a sophomore, 29 more in left field, was voted second-team All-Big Sky earlier this month.

She batted .309 in 2026 and led the team with 27 extra-base hits, including eight home runs. Her 40 runs batted in ranked second on the team.

Lopez, who has a 3.63 GPA as a psychology major, made a similar jump, going from part-time starter as a freshman to second-team All-Big Sky second baseman in 2026.

Lopez hit .368 and led the Grizzlies in hits (60), runs scored (47) and doubles (18). Her 25 extra-base hits ranked second on the team behind Christiaens.

Sweet played at Sacred Heart as a freshman. She earned Big Sky co-Newcomer of the Year and second-team All-Big Sky honors as a sophomore after leading Montana in wins (9) and ERA (4.13).

In league games, Sweet went 4-1 with a 3.89 ERA as Montana went from being picked last in the preseason poll to playing for a Big Sky championship on the final day of the regular season.

She has a 3.74 GPA as an integrative physiology major.

University of Montana Athletics

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Players Mentioned

JoJo Christiaens

Grace Lopez

Carah Sweet

Madison Tarrant

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