SYRACUSE, N.Y. - After being named the SUNYAC Softball Scholar Athlete of the Year, recent Oneonta graduate Julia Serena (White Plains, N.Y./Valhalla) is the SUNY Softball Scholar Athlete of the Year.

More than 25 student-athletes, including six SUNYAC student-athletes, are being honored with the SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards for combining academic achievement with success in the arena of athletic competition during the 2025 spring season.

The SUNY Spring Scholar Athlete Awards recognizes 28 student-athletes from SUNY colleges and universities sponsoring intercollegiate athletics at the four- and two-year levels who were nominated and voted upon by representatives of their respective institutions.

Nominating information includes cumulative grade point average, current and career statistics, and athletic and academic honors.

"What an incredible way to cap off such an amazing career for Julia.  She is the true definition of a scholar athlete," said Director of Athletics Ryan Hooper. "To have the historic achievement on the softball field, only to be exceeded by the success in the classroom, is truly an incredible accomplishment.  We are very proud to have Julia represent us as a Red Dragon. A huge congratulations to her on this honor."

Serena became Oneonta's first softball National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American as a third-team selection and was a four-time NFCA All-Region honoree. Additionally, Serena was the third-ever Red Dragon to earn the SUNYAC Player of the Year award and the first to win the conference triple crown (leading the league in batting avg., HR, and RBI). Serena is the first Oneonta softball player to receive this recognition.

"Julia is such an impressive young woman," said head coach Sara Curran-Headley. "I am so proud of all she has accomplished.  She deserves all of the accolades!"

Serena was a triple crown winner in the conference this season and led the league in overall hits (60), home runs (10), RBI (43), doubles (16), total bases (108), batting average (.480), on-base percentage (.556), and slugging percentage (.864). In conference play, she led the conference in the same categories, posting 32 hits for a .542 batting average with seven home runs, nine doubles, and 26 RBI with a .597 on-base percentage and 1.051 slugging. Serena's game-highs all came in a road game against Canton, where she went 5-for-5 with two home runs, seven RBI, and six runs. She finished the twin bill 8-for-9 with four home runs and 12 RBI. Defensively, Serena had a .984 fielding percentage behind the plate and caught seven runners stealing.

Serena graduated with a degree in exercise science, with a focus on pre-nursing, and achieved a 3.56 cumulative GPA. She was a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selection and is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National Honor Society.