University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI Athletics recognizes April 2026 Student-Athletes of the Month
4/9/2026 10:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Softball, Track and Field
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI Athletics is proud to honor four outstanding student-athletes with Athlete of the Month awards for April 2026.
The award recipients, voted on by members of UNI's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for their achievements in the month of March, include Carter Morton (men's track and field), Trey Campbell (men's basketball), Kate Lappe (softball) and Emma Randecker (women's track and field).
Carter Morton – Men's Track & Field
A senior from Jefferson, Iowa, Morton stole the show at the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Indoor Track and Field Championships last month, winning the men's long jump, high jump and heptathlon, while also finishing second in the pole vault to help UNI capture its second straight indoor conference men's team title. Named men's most valuable athlete and the most outstanding men's field athlete of the conference meet, Morton also placed sixth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning First Team All-American honors for a second straight season.
Trey Campbell - Men's Basketball
Campbell closed out his collegiate basketball career with a strong performance in March, averaging 15.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in the final six games of the season, which included the Panthers' run to the MVC Tournament title and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016. Named to First Team All-MVC and a member of the MVC All-Defensive Team at the end of the regular season, as well as the Doug Elgin Most Outstanding Player of the MVC Tournament, Campbell scored in double figures in all five of UNI's postseason games, including 23 points against both Evansville and UIC in the conference tournament.
Kate Lappe - Softball
The reigning MVC Player of the Year posted big numbers in March with a .455 batting average with 20 hits at the plate, including 13 extra base knocks with eight home runs, four doubles and one triple. Driving in 17 runs with 21 runs scored herself, Lappe ended the month of March with the fourth-most walks per game in the nation (1), ranking ninth in Division I softball in slugging percentage (1.057). She also ranks in the top-20 in the country in total home runs (14) and leads the MVC with 93 total bases and is second with 35 runs batted in.
Emma Randecker - Women's Track & Field
The Savanna, Illinois native has made an immediate impact on the sprinting unit for the Panthers, capturing the MVC indoor women's 400-meter dash title at last month's conference championship meet in 54.64 seconds, while also placing third in the 200 meters (23.86). An All-MVC Team honoree and the MVC Indoor Women's Freshman of the Year, Randecker finished her freshman indoor campaign as the program's indoor school record holder in the 400 meters and a member of the school record 4x400-meter relay team. She also ranks second in team history in the women's 200 meters.
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Players Mentioned
