Softball | 8/27/2025 12:57:00 PM
Olivia Ulam (Cannonsburg, Pa./Cannonsburg), a member of the Saint Francis softball team, has been selected by the Northeast Conference (NEC) as one of two conference representatives moving on to the next stage of the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year. Ulam and Wagner's Ruth-Ann Chambers were selected as the NEC nominees. Red Flash field hockey's Dolores Zavaleta received a nomination by Saint Francis, but the league did not choose her as one of its two nominees.
"Over the course of my four years at Saint Francis, I have grown as a student, athlete, and a leader," stated Ulam. "As a leader on the softball team, I have taken pride by leading by example – motivating the team, creating a culture of accountability and respect, and supporting one another when we were challenged. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to play college softball at the highest level. These experiences have shaped my character and influenced my future goals. I have learned the value of collaboration and resilience in making a positive impact on those around me. They have empowered me not only to lead, but also to listen and learn from others."
Ulam becomes the sixth Red Flash student-athlete to be an NEC nominee since 2006 and marks the third-straight year Saint Francis has had a student-athlete advance.
Ulam moves onto the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee, which will identify the Top 30 – 10 from each division, and from there select three finalists from each division. Ulam looks to become the first Saint Francis player to make the Top 30 in program history and the second from the NEC after Sierra Clark from Wagner in 2018. From the nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then selects the NCAA Woman of the Year, who is named during a luncheon at the NCAA Convention. The Top 30 honorees will be announced in October, and the nine finalists will be revealed in November. The 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the 2026 NCAA Convention in January.
These factors will be taken into consideration for the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year nomination cycle. Scoring for the academic achievement section is based on the nominee's undergraduate cumulative grade-point average. NCAA staff will score the athletics excellence section. The selection committee will score the service/leadership section and the personal statement. In the areas of leadership, athletics, and personal statements, the selection committee may award five scoring marks up to a maximum score of five at their discretion.
Along with Ulam, Ali Williams (women's basketball, 2014), Teresa Narduzzi (women's swimming, 2020), Elyssa Enrique (women's lacrosse, 2023), Julia Brenneman (field hockey, 2024), and Rachel Marsden (softball, 2024) were NEC nominees to advance to the next round of the national award.
Olivia Ulam's Resume
Academics
Ulam, a 2025 graduate of Saint Francis with a degree in early childhood education, had a 3.86 grade-point average. A three-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team representative, has been named to the Saint Francis President's List four times and the Dean's List in three semesters. Inducted into the 2025 Honor Society at Saint Francis for the School of Health Sciences and Education, she was named to the NEC Commissioner's Honor Roll (with a GPA of 3.75 or higher) and the NEC Academic Honor Roll (with a GPA of 3.20 or higher) four times during her career.
Athletics Performance
The second four-time All-NEC first-team performer in only four years of eligibility, Ulam was named the 2025 NEC Gold Glove winner. Ulam, who batted .300 (3-for-10) with six RBIs, two homers, and six RBIs in the NEC Tournament, gave the Red Flash the lead for good in two of the three NEC Tournament games and was named to the NEC All-Tournament team for the second time in her career. Ranked as the No. 14 First Basemen in D1Softball Player Position Rankings in 2025, she ranked in the Top-10 in nine offensive categories in the league: batting average (.342, sixth in NEC), hits (53, third in NEC), runs scored (33, sixth in NEC), doubles (15 led NEC), homers (6, eighth in NEC), RBIs (34, seventh in NEC), total bases (88, third in NEC), slugging percentage (.555, eighth in NEC) and OPS (.954, ninth in NEC). In addition, she holds the top marks for putouts in a season (450, 2022; 423, 2024) and the fifth most doubles in a single season (19, 2024). Ulam was named the NEC Player of the Week five times (2024, five times) and an NEC Prime Performer 13 times (2025, one time; 2024, seven times; 2023, two times; 2022, three times). She continued the tradition that she initiated with the program, helping the Red Flash to three NEC Tournament titles and NCAA Regional appearances (2022, 2024, 2025), as well as three NEC regular season titles (2022, 2023, 2024).
Leadership/Community Service
Ulam was a three-year team captain of the softball team (2023, 2024, 2025), a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) (2024, 2025), and a member of the SAAC board (2025). She also did numerous community service projects with Scholastic Book Fair, Potato Fest, Free Kid's Softball Clinic, RED Day (4 years), Safe Trick or Treat (2 years), Canned Food Drive, Doggy Day Care Assistance, Seedz for Needz, Breast Cancer Walk Volunteer, Cleaning Campus after events (2 years), Alzheimer's Walk Volunteer, Service Project with My Kindergarten Student, Teaching Class (coffee sleeve donations) and the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. The softball team won the Saint Francis University Athletics Community Service Award in 2025.
