Julie Foeldes Receives John S. Egli Scholar-Athlete Award

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine senior Julie Foeldes (Kendall Park, N.J./South Brunswick) was named the top female student-athlete in the Penn State University Athletic Conference on Tuesday as she received the John S. Egli Scholar-Athlete Award at the Conference's annual year-end banquet.

The award, named in honor of John S. Egli, a former Penn State student-athlete, professor and coach responsible for bringing varsity athletic programs to the commonwealth campuses, has annually been bestowed upon the top male and female student-athletes in the PSUAC since 1982. To be considered for the award, a student-athlete must have had a distinguished athletic career, own a minimum grade point average of 3.0, be active in additional campus activities and exemplify high morals, leadership and outstanding character.

The 12th student-athlete from Brandywine to earn the honor, Foeldes graduated Summa Cum Laude from Penn State in May. She amassed a 3.98 grade-point average as a psychology major at Brandywine, earning Evan Pugh Scholar honors as a junior for holding a GPA in the top 0.5 percent of her class.

On May 13th, Foeldes became Brandywine's third student-athlete overall and second softball player to claim United States Collegiate Athletic Association Student-Athlete of the Year, the top academic honor given by the national Association, while also claiming USCAA National Academic Team accolades for the third time.

Foeldes also earned academic awards from the PSUAC, National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association and Philadelphia Inquirer during her four years at Brandywine.

On the field, Foeldes appeared in all 148 games since stepping on campus in 2014, becoming Brandywine's all-time leader in games played. During the 2018 season, Foeldes became the fourth member of the Lions' softball team to reach 100 career hits, finishing with 108 knocks. She also collected four home runs, 85 RBI and 100 runs scored during her career.

Foeldes was a co-captain this season, leading Brandywine to its fourth-straight conference championship. She also helped the team finish in the top five each of the last three seasons at the USCAA World Series. Foeldes captured USCAA World Series All-Tournament Team honors in 2017 when Brandywine posted its second-straight fourth-place showing.

Foeldes was also active on campus and in the community during her time at Brandywine. She served as a teaching assistant under Dr. Joshua Marquit and worked with Dr. Marquit to produce an IRB-approved research project on youth sports participation and the perceived quality of parental relationships.

In addition, she helped to connect Brandywine softball with Team IMPACT. Team IMPACT is a non-profit organization that places children with serious illnesses with collegiate athletic programs. Foeldes also volunteered with Media Youth Softball and as a mentor for the Big Brother/Big Sister program at Chester Community Charter school.

Foeldes plans to pursue a doctorate degree in school psychology at Rutgers University beginning this fall.