BRUNSWICK — Four members of the Bowdoin College softball team have been honored in awards handed out by the New England Small College Athletic Conference on Thursday.

Headlining the awards were senior Claire McCarthy, who was named the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year, and head coach Ryan Sullivan, who was named the NESCAC Coach of the Year. McCarthy was joined as a First Team All-NESCAC selection by classmate Lauren O’Shea, while Caroline Rice was tabbed as a Second Team selection.

An All-NESCAC First Team selection, McCarthy is the first Polar Bear to earn the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year honor and the first catcher to garner the award in league history. McCarthy leads the NESCAC in hits (52) and ranks fourth in the league in RBIs (33). In the field, she threw out six runners in nine stolen base attempts against her and contributed 21 assists.

O’Shea earned her first All-NESCAC honor. An infielder, she led the Polar Bears to the NESCAC Championship Game with a walkoff hit in a win over Amherst in Game 5. She hit .388 and slugged .672 with 27 RBIs and 41 runs scored, while also stealing 19 bases.

Rice enjoyed another fantastic year, leading the team with 40 RBIs while batting .372 with a team-best 16 walks (.442 on-base percentage). Seventeen of her 51 hits went for extra bases as she also ranked among the team’s best in doubles (14) and runs scored (35).

Sullivan was selected as the NESCAC Coach of the Year by his peers. He earns the honor for the first time and is the first Bowdoin coach to garner the accolade. Sullivan led the Polar Bears to the NESCAC Championship Game and an overall record of 31-12 in his 14th season at the helm, the second best mark in program history. Bowdoin has enjoyed unprecedented success under Sullivan, reaching 20-plus wins for the 12th straight year, the second-longest streak of 20-win seasons in the NESCAC.