Jefferson University

Julie Soriero was the head coach of the Rams’ women’s basketball team from 1982-89 and also served as the Coordinator for Women’s Athletics at the University. During her tenure, she led the Rams to a 122-73 record (.626 winning percentage) and the first two NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. During the 1985-86 campaign, Soriero guided her squad to a 24-6 record and a trip to the national semifinals. The season remains the Rams’ only regional championship and the furthest they have advanced in the national tournament. The Rams won the 1989 Mideast Collegiate Conference   title. Jefferson Athletics Hall of Famer Vincene Morris was a two-time All-American under Soriero’s tutelage.

During her tenure as Women’s Athletic Coordinator, Soriero helped elevate the women’s teams into competitive NCAA Division II programs. 

She was also instrumental in helping the University join the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference in the mid-1980s. A strong proponent of Title IX, Soriero added or expanded scholarships and recruiting as well as invested in and hired successful coaches for all women’s programs. Along with her women’s basketball coaching duties, she also coached field hockey for the Rams.

Soriero went on to become the Director of Athletics at MIT and was named the 2014-15 Division III Athletics Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the 2012 Division III Administrator of the Year by Women Leaders in College Sports. Soriero was inducted into the NACDA Hall of Fame in July 2021 and was the recipient of the Nike Lifetime Achievement Award in October 2021. She was the 2018 recipient of the prestigious NCAA President’s Pat Summitt Award, which honors the recipient for significant lifetime achievement in demonstrating a devotion to the development of student-athletes and making a positive impact on their lives.