Varsity girls softball coach Krystina Mackowiak (formerly Krystina Leazer) was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame of Carthage University in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last September. 

Mackowiak played softball at Elk Grove High School and Carthage University. Her numerous accomplishments on Carthage’s women’s softball team secured her spot in their Hall of Fame last year. 

According to athletics. carthage. edu, Mackowiak set unbeaten records for the most innings pitched in a single season and the most strikeouts in one seven-inning game while she was a student at Carthage. She is also a three-time recipient of the title of Pitcher of the Year for Carthage’s conference, the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW).

After her fruitful college softball career, Mackowiak graduated from Carthage in 2013 and immediately started coaching the sport at Prospect. She started as an assistant coach for two years. After that, she was hired as the head coach. Mackowiak enjoys imparting her softball knowledge and passion into her athletes.

“I’ve always loved softball,” Mackowiak said. “It was cool to see my college accomplishments recognized, and I’m honored to be part of their Hall of Fame. I think it’s really cool to see … [my athletes’] growth and improvement and their love of the game continue throughout those four years.”

A few months before her induction, Mackowiak received a call from Carthage’s Athletic Director, who informed her that she was inducted. The announcement was then posted on Carthage Athletics’ Instagram and Twitter pages. 

Mackowiak and her close friends and family traveled to Carthage for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sept. 29. At the ceremony, Mackowiak met many of her former college teammates. That same weekend, she also participated in an alumni softball game with her teammates.

For Mackowiak, the induction was a great opportunity to keep in touch with her alma mater and be a source of inspiration for her athletes.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot [of my athletes] go on to play at the [collegiate] level too, so to continue to follow their careers is pretty exciting,” Mackowiak said. “It was an honor [to be inducted]. It was a pretty cool thing since I’ve been out [of Carthage] for a little while.”