UNC Softball places three players on All-ACC teams for 2024 season

The 2024 college softball regular season has ended, as the Atlantic Coast Conference has named its All-ACC selections. This year, three UNC softball players earned recognition.

Abby Settlemyre, Autumn Owen, and Sanaa Thompson played a huge role in the Tar Heels' success under first-year head coach Megan Smith-Lyon. North Carolina posted a 30-20 final record. Settlemyre and Owens earned All-ACC second-team honors, while Thompson earned a spot on the ACC all-freshman squad.

A now two-time All-ACC selection, Settlemyre put together another strong season for the UNC softball program. The graduate student posted a career-high .396 average while leading the team with 10 doubles to go with 42 hits, 27 runs batted in, four home runs as well as a .642 slugging percentage. She finished the season with 12 multi-hit games and 9 multi-RBI games. 

Like her other previous two stops, Owen wasted no time making an impact in Chapel Hill. With her All-ACC selection, Owen has now earned conference honors at each of the three programs she has competed at. A Mill Spring, North Carolina native, Owen averaged .304 at the plate as she recorded 35 hits, 11 home runs, 28 walks (a team high), 39 runs batted in, and a .635 slugging percentage.

Thompson's rookie season in Chapel Hill was one to remember, as she became just the third UNC softball player ever to earn ACC All-Freshman team honors. The outfielder from Dallas, Georgia made it a habit of getting on base, as she posted a .406 average on the season. She wasted no time getting acclimated to the college game, as she began her Tar Heel career with an 18-game hitting streak to go along with a 22-game on-base streak.

It was a great first season under Smith-Lyon's direction, as the program posted its first winning season since 2019. The three All-ACC honorees played a major role in that success, as the goal is to continue building on it for years to come.