TOWSON, Md. – The Landmark Conference selects 22 senior scholar-athletes each year to recognize the top student-athlete in each sport based on academics and athletics.

The honorees must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.20 and are selected by a committee of Landmark Conference officers, athletics directors, senior woman administrators, faculty athletic representatives, and sports information directors.

Cate Baran of Juniata College was selected as the Landmark Conference Softball Senior Scholar-Athlete. She is the first Eagle to earn softball Senior Scholar-Athlete honors and the second JC student-athlete this academic year. Nick Rigby was honored as the men's basketball honoree.

Baran made the Landmark Conference All-League First Team in 2023 and was named to the Second Team in 2022. She ranks third all-time in career wins (21), sixth all-time in program history in career earned run average (2.96), and fifth in innings pitched (295.2). Additionally, she ranks second all-time in career strikeouts with 243.

She holds the single-season record for stolen bases at 21 and is the career leader for stolen bases with 40. Offensively, Baran was a .304 hitter with 22 RBI, 15 doubles, two triples, and two homeruns. She also had 40 stolen bases.

Baran will graduate from Juniata in three years with an impressive 3.75 grade point average as she put together an impressive resume academically.

She made the College's Dean's List in the Fall of 2020, 2021, and 2022 as well as in the Spring of 2022. Baran is also a three-time Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll selection and earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athlete honors.

Baran was the recipient of the M.G. Brumbaugh Scholarship as well as both the NSF JC-SOURCE Scholarship and the Yenter Scholarship. She was also awarded the Juniata Founders Grant and PHEAA Grant.

She also served as an Inbound First-Year orientation leader.

All-Time Senior Scholar-Athletes