Rutgers-Newark Athletics

2025: Appeared in 15 games, starting 10…Clubbed eight hits in 30 at-bats for a .267 batting average…Drove in four runs and scored two…Recorded 38 putouts with a fielding percentage of .976.

2024: Appeared in 11 games, starting three…Grabbed one hit in nine at-bats for a batting average of .111…recorded 15 putouts with a fielding percentage of .842.

Personal: Janiyah Smith, a freshman from Neptune, NJ, is majoring in Psychology at Rutgers University-Newark. Standing at 5'3", Janiyah plays catcher/corner for the softball team. Outside of softball, she enjoys listening to music, reading, and spending time with friends. Her favorite movie is "Rush Hour 2," and she loves ice cream as her favorite food. Janiyah admires Kendrick Lamar as her favorite artist, Jason Stratham as her favorite actor, and Sis Bates as her favorite athlete. She chose Rutgers University-Newark for its welcoming team environment and the opportunity to be part of the HLLC (Honors Living-Learning Community) while pursuing an excellent education. Janiyah's parents, Alexis and Sean Conklin, did not play sports in college. When she graduates, Janiyah hopes her coaches and teammates will remember her as a good teammate with a strong work ethic. She is affiliated with the NJ Ruthless club team.