Editor's Note: The Marist Athletics Department is continuing to highlight its Senior Awards finalists. From April 20-May 15, a feature story will be presented on each finalist for Sportsperson of the Year.

Sportsperson Finalists: Megan Fergus (Volleyball) | Sydney Ford (Women's Rowing) | Alana Gilmer (Women's Basketball) |  Denise Grohn (Women's Cross Country/Track) | Rebekah Hand (Women's Basketball) | Samantha Mehalick (Women's Lacrosse) | Anais Mathes (Water Polo)
 
Previous finalists: Female Strength & Conditioning (April 14) | Male Strength & Conditioning (April 15) | Female Pizzani (April 16) | Male Pizzani (April 17)

POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Sportsperson of the Year finalist Ali Milam of the Marist softball team made noticeable contributions throughout the last four years, usually more visible than audible.
 
Usually quiet by nature, Milam made a loud impact with her bat. She concluded the 2020 season ranked fifth in program history in runs batted in with 120, and tied for eighth in home runs with 24. A First Team All-MAAC selection in both 2018 and 2019, Milam solidified herself as one of the most powerful hitters in the conference.
 
"She has the most power of anyone I've coached in my 12 years," head softball coach Joe Ausanio said. "If there was an NCAA home run hitting contest, I would enter her and put my house up as collateral."
 
A Digital Media major with a concentration in Graphic Design and a minor in Photography, Milam was equally passionate about her artistic work. She would often be seen at Gartland Field with a camera in her hands a couple hours prior to first pitch, capturing lighter moments with her teammates.
 
"I love taking pictures of everyone," Milam said, "just candid pictures in their natural habitat."



 

Cross-Coastal Journey

Milam's journey from Goleta, California to Poughkeepsie, New York had its roots in Florida.
 
Following her junior year of high school in the summer of 2015, Milam was playing for her travel team in a tournament in Florida when she first caught the eye of Ausanio.
 
"This kid is really athletic," Ausanio recalled. "She had some pop in her bat."
 
Milam had not heard of Marist at that point. She turned to Google, and came away impressed with the pictures of a beautiful campus, and an Arts program that appealed to her academically. Milam verbally committed shortly after that, and followed from afar as the 2016 Red Foxes enjoyed their best season in program history – 45 wins, including 17 straight, and a MAAC championship.
 
"I was blown away," Milam said.
 

Freshman Trials & Tribulations

Milam made her debut with the Red Foxes in 2017, as the team looked to defend its conference championship. She was named MAAC Rookie of the Week on Feb. 28, following her second weekend of collegiate action.
 
The Red Foxes went 37-22 that season, and Milam appeared in 44 games with 32 starts. However, her freshman season had more struggles than highlights. She finished with a .215 batting average, two home runs, and 10 RBIs.
 
"I don't know why, but I was so afraid of making a mistake," Milam said of her freshman year. "It impacted how I played."
 
One can make the point that the struggles she endured as a freshman laid the groundwork for her success over the next three years.
 

Emergence Into A Star

In her sophomore year, Milam transformed herself into one of the MAAC's top hitters. An early sign came on March 18, 2018, when she homered at Top-10 Texas A&M.
 
That blast against a Southeastern Conference opponent helped catapult Milam to one of the best individual seasons in program history. Her 54 RBIs in 2018 tied a single-season program record. She belted 11 home runs, and was named First Team All-MAAC and Second Team NFCA All-Region.
 
"Once I didn't have all that pressure I put on myself," Milam said, "it clicked."
 
What followed was an outstanding 2019 season, which in some ways was eerily similar to the previous year. She had the exact same number of hits (61) and at-bats (172) for a .355 average. With 15 doubles, nine home runs, and 47 RBIs, she was once again named First Team All-MAAC and Second Team All-Region.
 
"She easily could have been named MAAC Player of the Year the last two years," Ausanio said.
 
However, Milam's top moment of the 2019 season happened not with a bat in her hands, but with a glove on her right hand and a well-timed dive.
 
In an elimination game in the MAAC Championship, Marist was clinging to a 5-4 lead on Niagara with two outs in the top of the seventh, with Nicole Teague trying to close it out in the circle. The Purple Eagles had the tying run on third, and go-ahead run on second. Kendall Watkins belted a sinking line drive to right field, but Milam made a diving catch to end the game.
 

FINAL - ALI MILAM!!! A SENSATIONAL CATCH TO SEND US TO THE #MAACSoftball CHAMPIONSHIP! #GoRedFoxes #SCTop10 #NCAASoftball @NCAASoftball pic.twitter.com/AZEjP5nkMZ

— Marist Softball (@MaristSoftball) May 10, 2019

 
What ran through Milam's mind when the ball was heading her way?
 
"I need to catch this ball for Nicole right now," Milam recalled. "If I don't catch this ball, Nicole is going to kill me (laughs). I do everything I can for our pitchers. Nicole, this is for you."
 

Senior Season

Milam broke her hand in the fall of 2019. While the injury sidelined her from practice and competition for the semester, she kept busy with her passion for photography.
 
"I took pictures all the time at practice," Milam said. "Coach Joe would say, 'Yeah, you're not doing anything else.' " I was building up my future portfolio. Those raw moments are fun to capture."
 
Milam's artistic talents were also on display for the women's basketball program's annual Play4Kay game. She designed the T-shirt that was a fan giveaway when the Red Foxes hosted Manhattan on Feb. 8. The game raised money and honored survivors of cancers affecting women.
 
"I didn't even know student-athletes could design those," Milam said. "One of my professors recommended it to me. It was for such a great cause, and it was great for student-athletes to show our support."


 
As a senior, Milam ascended to a leadership role. She was named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award along with teammate Claire Oberdorf for her character, work in the community, and her success in the classroom and on the field. She was named a team captain along with Oberdorf and junior Caroline Baratta.
 
"Claire is a phenomenal player and more outspoken," Milam said. "It definitely got Caroline and me to raise our voices a little more."
 
As the 2020 season unfolded, Milam started slowly as she was rebounding from her hand injury. Her fortunes turned in early March, the Red Foxes traveled to Texas Tech for the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic. Milam and Oberdorf were roommates that weekend, and their bats caught fire.
 
On the tournament's first day, Milam went deep in both of the Red Foxes' games for her first two home runs of the season. In Marist's five contests that weekend, she went 11-for-20 (.550) with seven RBIs, and raised her season batting average 126 points. Meanwhile, Oberdorf went 10-for-17 (.588) with 10 RBIs.

"Claire and I were like, 'Yes, we're back,' " Milam said. "Everything was clicking again, and that was all tournament long."
 
On March 8, Milam went 3-for-4 with a double and triple in a 10-1 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. Four days later, the team was informed that its season was over.
 
"It stunk that it ended, but we went out with a bang," Milam said.