General | 9/10/2025 11:00:00 AM

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, celebrating its 75^th anniversary season in 2025-26, continues the process of honoring 300 of its most prominent contributors throughout the month of September.
 
The second grouping so honored are the PSAC's 75 Greatest Female Athletes, recognizing former female student-athletes that had exceptional athletic careers during or after their participation in the PSAC.
 
"While the path for women in college athletics was not always paved equally, the women of the PSAC have more than made their mark," said Steve Murray, PSAC Commissioner. "They've redefined what's possible. From the early trailblazers to today's champions, these 75 greatest female athletes represent courage, excellence, and the relentless pursuit of opportunity. Their achievements speak not only to talent, but to the progress Title IX helped make possible and the power of sport to transform lives."
 
The PSAC was founded on March 11, 1951, and comprised 14 institutions as the Pennsylvania State Teachers College Athletic Conference (PSTCAC). Since then, it has grown into one of the largest conferences in the NCAA across all three divisions.
 
The first 75 honorees were designated "Made in the PSAC", a group that recognizes former student-athletes that have gone on to influential careers after graduation (which could be in the sports industry, but not necessarily as a professional athlete.)
 
The 75^th anniversary celebration continues with the release of the 75 Greatest Male Athletes on September 17 and "Distinguished Keystones" on September 24.

"Any time you attempt to honor the greatest over 75 years, you know you're going to face tough choices," said Murray. "The truth is, no list can ever capture everyone who's made a difference. For every name recognized, there's another who could just as easily be included. This process was thorough, heartfelt, and rooted in fairness, even if it couldn't be perfect. What matters most is that we celebrate the legacy of the PSAC and the extraordinary people who helped shape it. That legacy lives in far more than 75 names—it lives in the pride of every person who's ever been part of this conference."
 
All 300 honorees were selected through a process that included nominations from institutions and selections by committee. The committee was comprised of institutional and PSAC staff.

The Bloomsburg honorees are highlighted below and the full list can be found in the link above. PSAC 75^th Anniversary: "Greatest Female Student Athletes"

Julie Bugg – Bloomsburg, Women's Soccer, 1994-99
Led Huskies to two PSAC titles and the school's first-ever NCAA playoff appearance

Julie Bugg was a standout midfielder for Bloomsburg women's soccer, earning three first team All-America honors and four first team All-PSAC selections during her career. She helped lead the Huskies to a 62-10-8 record, two PSAC titles, and the program's first NCAA playoff appearance, while also guiding the 1999 team to a16-1-4 record and a fifth-place national ranking. Bugg was recognized as the Joanne McComb Underclass Female Athlete of the Year in 1997-98 and earned multiple academic honors, including CoSIDA Academic All-District, PSAC Academic Team, and PSAC Fall Top 10 distinctions. She finished her career ranked among the program's top 10 in goals, assists, and points. After Bloomsburg, Bugg earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from Colorado State and is now a Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where she researches attention, memory, and aging while teaching courses such as Experimental Psychology.
 
Daneen Fero Zaleski – Bloomsburg, Field Hockey, 1985-89
All-American and Division II National Player of the Year in 1988, part of the 1987 Division II National Championship team in 1987 and 1988 PSAC Championship team.
 
Zaleski was midfielder for four seasons at Bloomsburg. For her career, she scored 19 goals and 15 assists for a total of 53 points. She was All-American and Division II National Player of the Year in 1988. She also received the Joanne McComb Award/Outstanding Underclassman Female Athlete in the 1988-89 season. She is only one for six players to win National Player of the Year honors in the school's history. She was part of the 1987 Division II National Championship team as well as the 1987 and 1988 PSAC Championship team.
 
Susan Kocher – Bloomsburg, Softball, 1983-872x All-American, 3x All-PSAC selection, helped the Huskies to four PSAC titles and a third-place finish at the NCAA Division II championships
 
Kocher was a two-time All-American and a three-time All-PSAC selection in softball and is the only pitcher in school history to throw a no-hitter and a perfect game in the same day. She had a career record of 71-13 with a 0.47 ERA, 485 strikeouts while throwing eight no-hitters, including two perfect games. At the plate, Kocher had 71 RBI and 65 runs scored. She helped the Huskies to a four-year record of 142-26, four PSAC titles and a third-place finish at the NCAA Division II championships. She was also a four-year member of the women's basketball team.
 
Theresa Lorenzi – Bloomsburg, Women's Basketball, 1985-89
Finished career as PSAC all-time leader in scoring with 2,173 career points, 4x All-PSAC, led nation in scoring as a sophomore, helped the Huskies to four PSAC Eastern Division championships
 
Lorenzi was a four-year starter for the women's basketball team. She finished as the all-time leader in scoring with 2,173 career points and was also a four-time All-PSAC and All-ECAC selection. She led the nation in scoring as a sophomore with an average of 25.9 points per game and helped the Huskies to four PSAC Eastern Division championships (two shared titles) and a berth in the school's first-ever appearance in the NCAA championships. She finished 8th all-time in rebounding with 675, 8th in blocked shots with 48 and 7th in steals with 210. Lorenzi still holds several individual records including: most points in a game, most points in a season, points per game average in both season and career, field goal percentage in both a season and career and field goals made in a single game, single season and career.
 
Jamie Vanartsdalen – Bloomsburg, Field Hockey, 2005-2008
PSAC all-time leader in goals (120), assists (58), and points (298), 2x PSAC Player of the Year, 4x First Team All-PSAC, won three national championships
 
Jamie Vanartsdalen was arguably one of the best student-athletes in the Bloomsburg field hockey program. Vanartsdalen was a three-time All-American, two-time National and PSAC Player of the Year, four-time First Team All-PSAC, and led the Huskies to three-straight National Championships. She graduated from Bloomsburg as the all-time leader in points, goals, and assists, a record she holds to this day. Vanartsdalen is also the Bloomsburg single-season record holder in all three categories. She also holds the PSAC record for most goals, assists, and points in a single season and career. Her 102 points during the 2008 season still ranks as the most points in a single-season in NCAA history and her 22 assists that season is tied for the top of the NCAA. Vanartsdalen's 40 goals in 2008 is tied for second all-time in the NCAA. Vanartsdalen is still the all-time points (298) and goals (120) leader in NCAA DII history and second all-time with 58 assists. At Bloomsburg, Vanartsdalen was the 2007-08 Joanne McComb Underclass Female Athlete of the Year and the 2008-09 Eleanor Wray Senior Female Athlete of the Year. 

Alison Tagliaferri – Mansfield, Basketball, Softball, 2001-06
4x First Team All-PSAC, 2006 PSAC Player of Year, all-time Mansfield leading scorer (1,795 points), in softball: named 3x All-PSAC, best Mansfield career ERA (2.00)
 
Alison Tagliaferri has led the Bloomsburg women's basketball program since 2016, compiling 110 wins record through the 2024-25 season and coaching 12 All-PSAC selections. She guided the Huskies to a PSAC East title share in 2018-19, when she was named PSAC Coach of the Year, and has overseen multiple playoff runs, highlighted by an 18-11 finish in 2021-22. Tagliaferri was named the 2024-25 Coach of the Year after guiding the Huskies to an 18-12 year and a run in the PSAC playoffs. A standout two-sport athlete at Mansfield, Tagliaferri remains the school's all-time leading scorer in basketball with 1,795 points and was a four-time First Team All-PSAC East honoree. After a professional playing career in Portugal and the U.S., she transitioned to coaching, with successful stops at Penn College, Eastern, West Chester, and Mansfield before taking over at Bloomsburg.