On South’s green and gold turf, she speeds past defenders with her stick control and moves, and shoots darts into the back of the field hockey goal. When spring comes, she sprints around the bases and throws out batters from shortstop with her strong arm. If there’s one athlete that has done it all, it’s Julia Dorfman (‘24).
Dorfman has shown staggering athleticism throughout her career. She has played three years of varsity field hockey and four years of varsity softball. With two field hockeyAll-Colonial Valley Conference first-team honors, one field hockey All-Colonial Valley Conference second-team honor, one Central Jersey Field Hockey Coaches Association second team appearance, and three
All-Colonial Valley Conference honorable mentions in softball, she has done something that not many others have; she has stood out in multiple sports.
“To be successful as a multi-sport athlete, I definitely had to budget my time in order to keep myself organized and stay on top of my school work and sport to succeed,” said Dorfman.
On the field hockey field, Dorfman stood out the moment she arrived at South. In her first year, she was immediately a starter, and has scored a total of 46 goals and 27 assists over three years.
“Julia is the type of player that, when she stepped onto the field, it was all about playing her absolute best and doing everything she could to help the team be successful,” said Coach Tracey Klugerman, head varsity field hockey coach. “She is an aggressive player who has strong stick skills and is one who made things happen when she was on the field.”
Dorman started playing field hockey in seventh grade. Although this is much later than when she started playing softball, Dorfman picked up field hockey quickly.
“I was actually very reluctant to even start,” said Dorfman. “But after some convincing from my mom, who once played, I did a camp and immediately loved it. It’s so fun to play a different sport that I like and feel good at.”
Dorfman’s family has been a large part of her athletic career. She shared the field with her younger sister Ella Dorfman (‘27) this fall. “I loved it,” Dorfman said.
For softball, Dorfman’s journey has been filled with the same feeling of friendship and family, but this time with a little more
nostalgia.
“Softball has been in my life for as long as I can remember. I started around 5 years old on the local rec-league team,” said Dorfman. “I chose to start softball because my older brother had played baseball and I had always loved to watch him, so I started to play Tee-Ball as soon as I was old enough.”
Throughout three years of high school softball, Dorfman has maintained a .381 batting average with 45 stolen bases and 60 runs. Any player that bats over .300, meaning the batter gets a hit every 3 out of 10 times, is considered a great batter. Dorfman has made excellence look easy.
Another impressive achievement was a homerun against a Division 1 commit in her sophomore year.
“I was so happy because my parents were watching and it was such a big moment for me,” said Dorfman. But, as Dorfman continues to succeed, she also looks to encourage others. Dorfman’s voice is often heard encouraging her teammates.
“She is always willing to help her teammates and can always be counted on for some great advice or a funny comment to cheer someone up,” said Coach Shannon Campbell, assistant varsity softball coach. “She doesn’t shy away from responsibility and even helps her coaches run the team’s United Softball instagram account. She is the one that comes up with the posts and stories praising her teammates for their accomplishments.”
Dorfman’s humor and selflessness have lifted up her teammates over the last four years. “Julia’s very outgoing and she’s very kind to underclassmen, so if you need something you could always ask her,” said Anja Basdeo (‘26),a field hockey teammate who
played center back.
As she prepares for college life at Tulane University, Dorfman’s time in a South uniform will soon come to an end.
“The thing I will miss the most about sports at South is being able to play with my best friends. Most of my teammates I have known for as long as I can remember and the friendships all started with the sport,” said Dorfman.
Although Tulane does not have a club field hockey or softball team, Dorfman plans on staying active. “I do intend to stay connected to the sports by doing intramural games or just playing pickup with new people,” she said.
With one last season ahead on the softball field, she plans to finish the season strong with the girls who have been with her from the start.Dorfman will leave behind a legacy of incredible athleticism, and leave with friendships and memories to last a lifetime.
