Princeton University Athletics
Dominant Weekend Leads to Ivy Weekly Awards Sweep
March 23, 2026 | Softball
Following a four-win week that included an Ivy League-opening sweep of Cornell, members of the Princeton softball team earned all three of the conference's weekly honors.
Mia Valenzuela was named Ivy League Player of the Week and shared Rookie of the Week honors, while Reece Uehara shared Pitcher of the Week recognition.
Princeton split a midweek doubleheader with Rider on Thursday, rallying in the nightcap with a six-run seventh inning for an 8-7 win. The Tigers carried that momentum into the weekend, sweeping Cornell while scoring 30 runs and allowing just four, all of which came in the series opener.
Primarily playing left field while also seeing time at shortstop, Valenzuela hit .643 on the week, going 9-for-14 with all nine hits coming in Princeton's four wins. With three doubles and a home run, she posted a 1.071 slugging percentage and a .688 on-base percentage. Valenzuela brings a six-game RBI streak into this weekend's trip to Columbia.
Uehara appeared in three games and earned the win in each. After striking out six in 6 1/3 innings in the comeback win over Rider, she was especially effective against Cornell, tossing 10 shutout innings across two appearances while allowing eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
On the season, Valenzuela is hitting .415, just behind team leader Karis Ford (.417). She ranks fifth in the Ivy League in both batting average and slugging percentage (.677). Uehara is 6-1 with a team-best 2.56 ERA over 41 innings, the third-lowest mark in the league.
Following the weekend sweep, Princeton stands alone atop the Ivy League standings, one game ahead of Penn, Harvard, and Columbia, its upcoming opponent.
