USCAA Names Julie Foeldes Softball Student-Athlete Of The Year

DUBOIS, Pa. -- The United States Collegiate Athletic Association selected Penn State Brandywine senior catcher Julie Foeldes (Kendall Park, N.J./South Brunswick) as the Softball Student-Athlete of the Year during its annual end-of-year banquet on Sunday afternoon at DuBois Country Club.

Foeldes is the third Brandywine student-athlete to receive the top academic honor from the USCAA, joining former teammate Stephanie Harvey (2017) and Miranda Biondi (2015/volleyball).

The USCAA Student-Athlete of the Year Award, awarded annually to one student-athlete from each of the 15 sports the national governing body sponsors, emphasizes academics and community involvement in addition to athletic prowess. The honoree is selected by a committee comprised of USCAA national office members, board members and member athletic directors.

A four-year member of the Brandywine softball team, Foeldes recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from Penn State with a degree in psychology. She amassed a final grade-point average of 3.98 after earning three USCAA National Academic Team honors, four Academic All-PSUAC selections and eight Dean's List awards. She also earned laurels from the National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association as an All-American Scholar-Athlete and claimed a place on the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team in 2017.

During her time at Brandywine, Foeldes served as a teaching assistant under the supervision of Dr. Joshua Marquit, a professor of psychology, while also working with Dr. Marquit to create an Institutional Review Board-approved research project on youth sports participation and the perceived quality of parental relationships.

Foeldes has also been active in the community as she helped to bring Team IMPACT to Brandywine athletics. Team IMPACT is a non-profit organization that connects children with serious illnesses to collegiate athletic programs. Brandywine softball recently signed Ziah Oyler of West Grove, Pa., to be the newest member of its team.

In addition, Foeldes volunteered with the Big Brother/Big Sister program, serving as a mentor to middle school girls, and also aided in coaching clinics with Media Youth Softball.

A four-year starter behind the plate, Foeldes has appeared in 144 career games, a program record. Earlier this spring, she became the fourth member of Brandywine's 100-hit club.

Foeldes helped Brandywine win four-straight Penn State University Athletic Conference championships. She was named to the USCAA World Series All-Tournament Team in 2017 after leading Brandywine to a second consecutive fourth-place finish.