ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The SUNYAC announced their 2024 softball awards including the Julie Lenhart Co-Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Sandra Hollander Coaching Staff of the Year and the All-Conference teams, Wednesday afternoon. SUNY Oneonta softball senior Delaney Haley (Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue) was voted the Julie Lenhart Co-Player of the Year, senior Victoria Hussey (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown East) was crowned the SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year, and freshman Emily Brown (Westbury, N.Y./Clarke) was tabbed the conference's Rookie of the Year. The Red Dragons had seniors Gianna Cancelleri (Naples, FL/Washingtonville (NY)), Haley, junior Julia Serena (White Plains, N.Y./Valhalla), and freshman Ella Stewart (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) named to the All-Conference teams. Haley and Serena were tabbed First Team, while Cancelleri and Stewart received Second Team honors. These awards and All-Conference teams are nominated and voted on by the SUNYAC coaches.

Julie Lenhart Co-Player of the Year, All-SUNYAC First Team – Delaney Haley (Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue)
Haley is the second Oneonta softball athlete in program history to be named the SUNYAC Player of the Year, the first being Brianna Rivera in 2015. It is the second straight year Haley garnered All-Conference honors as she received first team honors last season, while also gaining NFCA All-Region III Second Team status. Haley was also named to the SUNYAC 2024 All-Tournament team this season.

This year, the Red Dragons left fielder started all 39 games for the team and led the league in runs scored (40) and stolen bases (29). The 29 stolen bases, which was the 43rd most in NCAA Division III, set an Oneonta program record for most in a single season as Haley also ended her career as the Red Dragons all-time stolen base leader with 58 total. She was one of four players in the conference to record at least 50 hits and finished fourth in the SUNYAC with a .420 batting average, totaling two doubles and nine RBI. During conference play, Haley led the league with 21 runs scored, co-led with Cancelleri with 15 stolen bases, attained the conference's second-best on base percentage (.526), and hit for a .471 batting average against SUNYAC opponents, the fourth highest in the league.

SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year – Victoria Hussey (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown East)
Hussey started and played 36 games for the Red Dragons as their main third baseman. She recorded 40 putouts and 57 assists with no errors for 1.000 fielding percentage, only one of 20 players in the conference to have a perfect fielding percentage. Out of the 20 players that had zero errors, the Nesconset, N.Y. native ranked second in total fielding chances (97) and in double plays (3). She was one of 30 players with no errors during SUNAYC play and led that group with 30 assists while totaling the fifth-most chances (48). Hussey assisted Oneonta offensively in league play with a .244 batting average that included four doubles and seven RBI.

SUNYAC Rookie of the Year – Emily Brown (Westbury, N.Y./Clarke)
Brown is the sixth Red Dragon to be named SUNYAC softball's Rookie of the Year, the first since Serena in 2022. In her first year with Oneonta, Brown played in 36 games, starting 34, as a pitcher and first baseman. She appeared in 19 games with 16 starts in the circle for a 10-7 record, pitching 82.1 innings, recorded 89 strikeouts with a 3.57 ERA, and forced a .250 opponent batting average, leading the team in each category. Brown threw six complete games, two shut outs, and was fifth in the SUNYAC in overall strikeouts and ninth in ERA. In conference play, she had a 5-1 record with the league's sixth-best ERA (1.81) and seventh-most strikeouts (42). Brown was also a threat at the plate batting a .298 average against SUNYAC opponents and hit the second-most triples in league play (3) along with three doubles and 11 RBI.

All-SUNYAC – Julia Serena (White Plains, N.Y./Valhalla)
It is the third straight year Serena was named to the All-SUNYAC team. In her freshman year, she made the second team while being tabbed the conference's Rookie of the Year and named NFCA All-Region III second team. Last year, Serena received SUNYAC first team honors along with NFCA All-Region III first team recognition. The White Plains, N.Y. native broke numerous program records this season including career home runs (currently at 19), most RBI in a single season (45), tied the career RBI record (114), and is on pace to be the program leader in career slugging percentage (currently first at .656).

This season, Serena started in 38 games for the Red Dragons predominately at catcher and first base. She finished the season with a .368 batting average, the conference's second-best .658 slugging percentage, and totaled nine doubles, two triples and seven home runs for 45 RBI, leading the SUNYAC in home runs and RBI. Against conference opponents, Serena boasted a .382 batting average and .691 slugging percentage with three doubles, a triple, and the league-high four home runs for 22 RBI, the second-most RBI in league play. Defensively, Serena had a .972 fielding percentage and caught a conference-high nine runners stealing bases for a .310 runner caught stealing percentage (9-for-29).

All-SUNYAC – Gianna Cancelleri (Naples, FL/Washingtonville (NY))
Cancelleri started 37 of the 38 games she played for the Red Dragons this season as she received All-Conference honors for the first time in her career. The Oneonta right fielder co-led with Haley in SUNYAC play with 15 stolen bases and had the team's second-best batting average at .391 which ranked 18th in conference play. She also scored 17 runs and tallied six RBI against league opponents. Cancelleri finished third in the SUNYAC with 21 stolen bases in the season, and defensively had a .946 fielding percentage, recording two double plays from right field.

All-SUNYAC – Ella Stewart (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park)
Stewart made an immediate impact in her freshman year with the Red Dragons as she earned second team conference honors. She started all 39 games for the team at second base and recorded a .957 fielding percentage with 72 putouts and 63 assists. The Orchard Park, N.Y. native finished the season at the plate with a .315 batting average that included four doubles and a triple while totaling 13 RBI, 16 runs scored and nine stolen bases, the 16th-most stolen bases in the conference. In SUNYAC play, Stewart slashed a .358 batting, .404 on base percentage with three doubles, seven RBI and five stolen bases.

Oneonta finished the season 22-17 overall, 13-5 in conference play, and finished fourth in the SUNYAC tournament.