Union College (NY)

Union College Athletic Department
Alumni Gymnasium 807 Union St. Schenectady, NY 12308

Division 3 New York Northeast

Private Very Small Developing team

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Coaches

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Michelle Connors

Michelle Connors finished her 10th year as the head softball coach and 12th season overall at Union College in 2023.

Connors has led the Dutchwomen to four Liberty League Tournament appearances during her time in Schenectady, including a spot in the tournament finals in 2015 after a pair of elimination-game victories. In all, 21 Union players have been named to the All-Liberty League teams under Connors' watch, including at least one player in every season.

Connors led Union to a 15-20 record this season and earned the teams first Liberty League tournament appearance since 2018 and the first win in the tournament since 2015. Following the season senior Karson Saunders claimed the first Liberty League Player of the Year honors, since 2008 and the first under Connors. Saunders, and senior Olivia Valery also claimed NFCA All-Region accolades, with Saunders earning a second All-Region First Team and Valery, earning her first appearance on the Second Team.

Taking the field with a young roster that saw only two seniors start more than four games, Connors led Union to a 19-13 record in 2022. The team posted one of the best starts to a season in program history, jumping out to a 9-1 start that is tied for the second-best 10-game start ever. Following the season, junior Karson Saunders was named to the NFCA All-Region first team, Union's first All-Region selection since 2014 and its first first-team honoree since 2009, as well as a CoSIDA Academic All-American.

After having the team's 2020 season canceled entirely due to COVID-19 Connors helped guide her team through a challenging 2021 season that was truncated by the pandemic. Despite routinely fielding a squad with five or more players in their first collegiate season, the Dutchwomen won eight conference contests, the most by a Union side since 2014, and had a pair of players earn All-Liberty League honors.

In her first season of 2014, Union boasted a 22-13 record and a 9-3 mark in conference play, finishing third in the very competitive regular-season standings. Six players earned All-Liberty League honors following the season.

Prior to taking over as the 14th head coach in program history, Connors served two seasons as an assistant coach and associate head coach with the Dutchwomen in 2012-13.

Connors was a four-year member of the University at Albany softball team, where she helped lead Albany to an America East Championship, a regular season title, and an NCAA Tournament regional final appearance. She was an America East All-Rookie first team selection and also earned second-team honors. She closed out her career as the captain of the 2010 team and graduated from UAlbany in 2010.

Connors has served as a hitting instructor for the Extra Innings Baseball and Softball Training company, and also was a hitting and fielding instructor at the Shenendehowa Elite Softball Camp. She was a first team all-star, an MVP and a Player of the Year during her career at Shenendehowa and helped lead the team to AA Sectional Championships in each of her four seasons, 2003 through 2006.

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Kara Kolonsky

Kara Kolonsky finished her sixth season as an assistant coach with the Union College softball team in 2023.

Kolonsky helped led Union to a 15-20 record this season and earned the teams first Liberty League tournament appearance since 2018 and the first win in the tournament since 2015.