Lakeland University's Lexi Howard (Fr.-Crown Point, Ind.) received Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference honors for the first time when she was named the conference's softball position player of the week, as announced Tuesday by the conference.

Howard received the award after excellent performance as the Muskies went 5-1 over six games last week. The freshman is the second Lakeland player to receive conference honors this season, after Lily Pettit (Fr.-Rewey, Wis.) was named the NACC Pitcher of the Weeks two weeks earlier.

Howard batted .474 last week with nine hits in 19 at bats. She hit one double, three triples and a home run and drove in 12 runs while also scoring six times. Howard also walked three times and finished the week with a .545 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage, and playing at third base also was perfect for the week in 15 fielding chances.

The freshman cleanup hitter had her biggest games on the weekend in conference play against Rockford University and St. Norbert College. Howard drove in six runs in the first game against Rockford with a pair of three-run triples as part of a four-hit day, and she also added four hits against St. Norbert including a single, triple and her first collegiate home run as well as three RBIs in the second game.

Howard has stepped in as a freshman and quickly has taken on a huge role in the Muskies lineup. She is batting .397 with 27 hits, seven doubles, four triples, one home run and 23 runs batted in, leading the team in batting average, hits, doubles and RBIs and tied for the team lead with Carlie Morrow (Jr.-Menasha, Wis.) in triples.

Lakeland is 12-10 overall on the season and 7-3 in the NACC. The Muskies are back in action Tuesday with a non-conference doubleheader at Ripon College at 3 p.m.