Five student-athletes on the Butler softball team – Sydney Carter, Hailey Conger, Cate Lehner, Kieli Ryan, and Ella White – have been recognized by College Sports Communicators as Academic All-District®.  

The 2025 Academic All-District® Softball Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced June 17. 

Carter, a senior from Mason, Ohio, was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection for the Bulldogs. She finished second on the team in batting average (.347), hits (42) and runs (30) and third with three home runs. Her .420 on-base percentage was fourth. The second baseman totaled 19 RBI with two doubles and a triple and stole four bases. She had a season-high three hits vs. DePaul on March 8, going 6-for-9 with three RBI over the three-game series.

Carter recently received her degree in Sports Media and Strategic Communications.

Conger, a junior from Gurnee, Illinois, led Butler this season with a pair of triples. She was second on the team with 21 drawn walks and tied for second with 30 runs scored. Her seven stolen bases ranked third for Butler, and her 25 RBI and eight doubles ranked fourth. The outfielder batted .281 with 39 hits. She had a season-high three hits at Providence (3/14) and produced three RBI on a pair of doubles at Seton Hall (April 27). She also knocked in the tying and winning runs vs. Georgetown (March 28).

Conger is a double major in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences as well as Psychology. 

Lehner, a junior from Indianapolis, was an All-BIG EAST First Team and All-Region Second Team selection this season leading the team in: batting average (.438), at bats (176), runs (42), hits (77), and stolen bases (39). She was second with a .462 on base percentage, and her .438 batting average, 42 runs scored, 77 hits, and 39 stolen bases are all Butler single-season records. The outfielder broke the BIG EAST single-season in-conference hits record with her 43rd (at Seton Hall, April 27), and she became just the third Bulldog to record five hits in a single game (at Villanova, May 7).

Lehner is majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. 

Ryan, a junior from Ingals, Indiana, appeared in 39 games for Butler, starting 34 as catcher.

She ranked third in the BIG EAST with nine runners caught stealing. She finished the season with 20 hits, including three doubles and a triple, knocked in seven RBI, and finished third on the team with a .441 on base percentage. She had a season-high three hits vs. Villanova in the BIG EAST Tournament, going 5-for-9 (.556) over all three games.

Ryan is an accounting major.

White, a senior from Noblesville, Ind., leaves Butler holding three career records: RBI (146), runs (124) and drawn walks (113).  This season she led the team in slugging percentage (.555), on-base percentage (.470), RBI (42), doubles (10) and sacrifice bunts (8). She was second with six home runs and 30 runs scored, fourth with 41 hits, and produced a .320 batting average. The utility player produced five RBI on three hits -- including a double and a home run -- vs. Villanova in the BIG EAST Tournament where she was named to the All-Tournament team after going 6-for-9 (.667) with two doubles, a home run, and six RBI over three games.

White just recently received her degree in Middle/Secondary Education.