➤
Finding Her Team and Her Path: Delaney Ridgell, Class of 2026
East Stroudsburg University was not part of Delaney Ridgell's original plan.
As a sophomore in high school, she already had her heart set on one institution to continue her softball career. But once she arrived, she realized the fit was not right academically or athletically. By the spring of 2023, she decided it was time to find a place that felt like home and began exploring new opportunities through the transfer portal.
One of the first calls she received came from a familiar voice. Delaney had first met ESU’s softball coach years earlier at a catching clinic, and that early connection reopened the conversation. But familiarity alone was not enough. Delaney wanted to compete on a team that believed in playing for championships, one where the culture matched her drive and the standard was high. ESU offered both the competitive edge she was looking for and a coaching staff that genuinely invested in their players. What began as a childhood connection became the right athletic fit at exactly the right time.
"I didn't have to start over," she said. "I already knew people. It felt comfortable."
What she found at ESU was more than comfort. It was culture.
She describes ESU Athletics as a family. Coaches attend each other's games. Trainers support athletes through injury and recovery. Faculty check in about classes and future plans. When Delaney needed a quiet place to retake the LSAT, basketball coaches offered their offices, set out water and snacks, and wrote "good luck" on a whiteboard.
"It's just that kind of place," she said. "People genuinely want you to succeed."
A political science major with minors in economics and management, Delaney found new academic opportunities as well. Encouraged by faculty, she earned the Joseph J. McGee Memorial Endowed Scholarship. That opportunity led to travel abroad for a European Union simulation, research collaboration on a forthcoming faculty book, and a summer internship experience.
Scholarships did more than ease financial pressure. They created access.
"Every dollar that helped me get through undergrad is helping me move toward my future," she said.
Last season, Delaney helped lead the Warriors to a PSAC Championship. This year, her goals are competitive, but personal as well.
"Have fun," she said. "It's such a privilege to be here and play. One day it ends."
Off the field, she is preparing for law school, focused on building a career rooted in service and impact.
To Delaney, being a Warrior means resilience. It means showing up every day. And it means knowing there is a community behind you.
On Giving Day, support strengthens that community and helps students like Delaney pursue what comes next.
On April 1-2, every gift counts toward Giving Day participation. Whether you choose academics, scholarships, the Warrior Fund, or Athletics, your support strengthens the ESU experience.