NEW YORK — Sophomore outfielder Payton Walker (Eastvale, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt) of the St. Joseph's University, N.Y. – Brooklyn softball team was named to the All-Skyline Conference First Team as the league's Player of the Year. Senior outfielder Lauren Van Der Kamp (Sacramento, Calif./Rosemont) was selected to represent the Bears on the All-Sportsmanship Team. The announcement was made on Wednesday as part of the league's postseason honors.

Walker wrapped up her season hitting at a .490 clip, ranking third in the Skyline Conference and among the top 20 nationally in Division III. She led the league in on-base percentage (.570), slugging percentage (.863), RBIs (49), and total bases (88)—with the latter two establishing new single-season program records, surpassing marks set by CJ Kavanagh in 2007.

Adding to her record-setting campaign, Walker was a three-time Skyline Player of the Week, becoming the program's first player to receive the honor three times in a single season. Walker, who earned Rookie of the Year praise last season, becomes the second player in program history to receive the Skyline's top individual award, following Ashleigh Hartwig '22, a three-time Player of the Year recipient from 2019-22.

Van Der Kamp batted .427 this season with an on-base percentage of .512, both inside the Skyline top 10. She logged 34 runs batted in while registering 44 hits over 103 at-bats. Reaching her 100th career hit against Alverno in March, the senior outfielder posts 133 career hits while recording a career batting average of .390, a .445 on-base percentage, and .496 slugging percentage. 

Van Der Kamp also puts a pin on her collegiate career with two previous All-Conference honors (2023 Second Team, 2024 First Team) as well as four All-Sportsmanship selections across two sports (2023, 2024 cross country; 2024, 2025 softball).

Skyline Conference season awards, as well as the All-Conference teams, were determined by a vote of the league's 10 head coaches. The conference recognizes All-Sportsmanship Team members in all 19 of its championship sports, with each program announcing one recipient for his or her sportsmanlike demeanor – both in and out of competition.