Bluejay Great Tara Oltman Higgins Named to DI Softball All-Quarter Century Team
10/2/2025 3:30:00 PM | Softball
OMAHA, Neb. – Former Creighton standout and Hall of Famer Tara (Oltman) Higgins has continued to add to her long list of awards as she was named to the DI Softball All-Quarter Century Team on Thursday, Oct. 2nd.
A 2017 Creighton Athletics and 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame inductee, Oltman helped the Bluejay softball program to a record of 155-70-1 from 2007-10, including MVC Tournament championships in 2007 and 2010, and NCAA Tournament bids in 2007, 2008 and 2010.
She was the first student-athlete in school history to earn First Team All-Conference honors all four years of her career and is the only Bluejay softball player to be named an All-American three times. In addition, Oltman is one of only two pitchers in MVC history to earn MVC Pitcher of the Year honors three times throughout her career.
A 13-time MVC Pitcher of the Week honoree, Oltman concluded her career with school and league records in wins (118), strikeouts (1,086), innings (1,064), appearances (187), starts (143) and complete games (128), while her 44 shutouts set a new career program record. The 2010 MVC Tournament MVP finished her career ranked in the NCAA career top-30 in appearances (T-13th), wins (T-18th), complete games (T-20th), innings (25th) and saves (T-26th), while earning College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American honors three times.
Oltman was joined on the All-Quarter Century Team by former Bluejay assistant coach and Drake standout Nicole Newman.
A 2017 Creighton Athletics and 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame inductee, Oltman helped the Bluejay softball program to a record of 155-70-1 from 2007-10, including MVC Tournament championships in 2007 and 2010, and NCAA Tournament bids in 2007, 2008 and 2010.
She was the first student-athlete in school history to earn First Team All-Conference honors all four years of her career and is the only Bluejay softball player to be named an All-American three times. In addition, Oltman is one of only two pitchers in MVC history to earn MVC Pitcher of the Year honors three times throughout her career.
A 13-time MVC Pitcher of the Week honoree, Oltman concluded her career with school and league records in wins (118), strikeouts (1,086), innings (1,064), appearances (187), starts (143) and complete games (128), while her 44 shutouts set a new career program record. The 2010 MVC Tournament MVP finished her career ranked in the NCAA career top-30 in appearances (T-13th), wins (T-18th), complete games (T-20th), innings (25th) and saves (T-26th), while earning College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American honors three times.
Oltman was joined on the All-Quarter Century Team by former Bluejay assistant coach and Drake standout Nicole Newman.
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