VILLANOVA, Pa. – The BIG EAST Softball Player of the Year picked up another honor on Thursday afternoon as junior outfielder Tess Cites was named 2nd Team All-Mideast Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

The Horseheads, New York, native received the accolade after one of the best individual seasons in Villanova history, earning the conference's top player honors as well as a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team nod.

In her third season on the Main Line, Cites picked up two league Player of the Week honors and two mentions on the weekly honor roll after leading the conference runner-up in nearly every offensive category.

The junior slashed .378/.470/.571 on the year with a team-high 74 hits and 112 total bases. Cites added a Wildcat-best 45 RBI, 34 walks and 45 runs scored in her team-high 196 at bats in addition to 15 doubles, seven home runs and 10 stolen bases.

The outfielder set Villanova single season records in 13 different categories and found her way onto the career rankings in five of those. 

Cites' 2023 ranks in the program's top 20 for hits (third), walks (third), runs batted in (tie-fourth), total bases (fifth), at bats (fifth), games started (tie-fifth), runs scored (seventh), games played (tie-seventh), on-base percentage (eighth), doubles (tie-ninth), OPS (11th), slugging percentage (17th) and batting average (tie-18th). 

The Horseheads product now sits third in Villanova history for career on-base percentage at .435 and fifth in walks (70), while also seeing the top 20 in OPS, slugging and batting average.

The comprehensive science major also earned a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District nod, showing dominance in the classroom as well as on the diamond.