Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges

Skania Valencia enters her second season as the head coach of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps softball team during the 2025-26 academic year.

During her first season, Valencia guided the Athenas to a 22-16 record and a runner-up finish in the SCIAC Tournament. The CMS postseason run included a five-run seventh for a 7-6 comeback win over host and top-seed Redlands, which later went on to the NCAA Division III World Series. 

Valencia joined the Athenas after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Division I Siena College, and has experience coaching at all three NCAA divisions during her six-year coaching career.

Valencia had a key role in helping Siena to the first MAAC Championship in program history, leading the Saints to the NCAA Regional at the University of Texas. Her efforts also helped the Saints to a 33-win season in 2024, the most in program history, after tying the record with 32 in her first season.

While with Siena, Valencia was tasked with defensive and offensive player development, training and game strategy, while also organizing team logistics for travel, games and equipment. She had an additional role as intramural sports coordinator at Siena as well.

Valencia has previous head coaching experience at the Division III level, after serving as the head coach at Westfield State in Massachusetts for one year during the 2022 season. She doubled the Owls’ win total from nine to 18, starting an upward trajectory that has turned the program into a league contender.

Prior to accepting the head coaching position at Westfield State, Valencia served as an assistant coach at Division II Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York, her alma mater, from 2018-21 while pursuing her master’s degree. She served as the lead coach for hitting and outfield defense, while serving as the lead recruiter for the West Coast.

As a player, Valencia was named to the ECC Commissioner’s Honor Roll in both of her seasons at Mercy College, and set the school record for most RBI in a season. She graduated from Mercy with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2018, and a master’s degree in finance in 2021.