Juleah Wanner (formerly Vedder) has served as the head coach of the SUNY Poly Wildcats softball program since 2017, bringing leadership, competitive drive, and a deep connection to the institution as both a former student-athlete and alumna. In her first season at the helm, Wanner guided the Wildcats to a 15–21 overall record and a 10–14 mark in conference play, narrowly missing a berth in the NEAC Championship Tournament. Throughout her tenure, she has played a key role in developing the program and mentoring student-athletes both on and off the field.
Prior to returning to SUNY Poly, Wanner began her coaching career at Morrisville State, where she served as an assistant coach from 2012–13 before being elevated to head coach in 2014. During her time there, she coached four student-athletes to All-Conference honors, further establishing her reputation for player development and competitive success.
Wanner’s tenure at SUNY Poly has included a 10–13 season in 2018 with an 8–5 conference record that earned the Wildcats a first-round appearance in the conference championship tournament. She followed that with a 14–21 campaign in 2019, highlighted by a strong 10–6 conference finish and another postseason appearance. The 2020 season opened with a 2–0 start before being cut short, and in 2021 she led the Wildcats to a balanced 7–7 overall record and a 6–6 mark in conference play.
Beginning in 2023, Wanner guided the Wildcats into a new era of competition, highlighted by an impressive 21–7 record — the program’s most wins in a season since 2012 — and an 11–1 conference mark. That season featured a deep run in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championship Tournament, with SUNY Poly falling one game short of the title game, and four players earning All-Conference honors. The program reached even greater heights in 2024, compiling a 26–10 record, a 14–1 conference finish, and an appearance in the NAC championship game. The team produced eight All-Conference selections and the 2024 NAC Pitcher of the Year, Trinity Critelli.
Although SUNY Poly changed conferences ahead of the 2025 season, the program’s momentum continued. The Wildcats finished 20–17 overall (12–9 conference) and advanced to the second round of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament.
As a student-athlete at SUNY Poly, Wanner was a standout two-sport competitor in both softball and volleyball. She remains one of the most decorated athletes in school history, holding career softball records for home runs, RBIs, wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts, while also owning volleyball career records for kills, digs, and service aces. She was a six-time All-Conference selection, earning honors twice in softball and four times in volleyball, and was named Conference Volleyball Player of the Year twice. Wanner was also recognized as SUNY Poly’s Female Athlete of the Year three times (2010, 2011, 2012) and received the Utica Kiwanis Award four times.
A 2008 graduate of Dolgeville High School, Wanner earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from SUNY Poly in 2012. Her blend of coaching experience, competitive excellence, and institutional pride continues to shape the Wildcats softball program as it moves forward.
COACHING RECORD
2017: 15–21 (10–14 NEAC)
2018: 10–13 (8–5 NEAC) — NEAC First Round
2019: 14–21 (10–6 NEAC) — NEAC First Round
2020: 2–0
2021: 7–7 (6–6 NAC)
2022: 6–20 (4–8 NAC)
2023: 21–7 (11–1 NAC) — NAC Second Round
2024: 26–10 (14–1 NAC) — NAC Runner-Up
2025: 20–17 (12–9 E8) — E8 Second Round
Overall: 121–116
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