DAYTON – The University of Dayton Athletics Department held the 13th annual R.U.D.Y.S. awards banquet Monday at UD Arena.  The event included the 18th annual presentation of the Presidential Scholar-Athlete Awards by the Office of Academic Services for Student-Athletes.
 
R.U.D.Y.S is hosted by the UD Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Dayton Athletics administration for the student-athletes to recognize individuals and teams for their accomplishments this past year.
 
R.U.D.Y.S. stands for Recognition and celebration of University of Dayton student-athletes Year-end Showcase.
 
The 2025 award winners were as follows:

Rookie of the Year
Winners –   Andrew Armstrong (men's soccer), Amaël L'Etang (men's basketball), Laney Smith (women's soccer)

Nominees  –  Charlotte Deines (track & field), Mia Gill (women's cross country), Juliana Gonzalez (softball), Jacob Herzog (men's cross country), Paul Kelly (football), Haley Klein (women's tennis), Olivia Leung (women's basketball), Isabella Lewis (rowing), Rylan Lujo (baseball), Ty Mainolfi (baseball), Bre Mendoza (women's soccer), Molly O'Riordan (women's basketball), Sturle Skigelstrand (men's tennis), Andrew Wilcox (men's cross country), Paige Wolf (rowing).


Rising Star
Winners –  Michael DiMartini (baseball), Jadyn Haywood (track & field), Liana Sarkissian (volleyball), Mikkel Zinder (men's tennis)

Nominees  – Martin Bakken (men's soccer), Javon Bennett (men's basketball), Victor Caliguri (men's golf), Sarah Duncan (rowing), Lauren Fields (women's soccer), Deirdre Flaherty (softball), Kylee Heidemann (women's golf), Bryn Hothem (women's cross country), Riley Kerber (women's soccer), Nayo Lear (women's basketball), Gavin Lochow (football), Cecilia Martyna (rowing), Jameson Maynes (men's cross country), Kyle McNally (men's tennis), Natalie Osiecki (women's tennis), Ella Raimondi (women's soccer), Braden Seel (men's soccer).

Connie Combs, bus driver for the freshmen football players, was recognized with the Staff Unsung Hero Award.
 
Student-Athlete Unsung Hero
Winners –  Ben Lavelle (football),  Norah O'Donnell (softball)

Nominees  – Evelyn Albers (track & field), Rebekah Conrad (track & field), Evan Dickey (men's basketball), J.J. Gatti (baseball), Morgan Gerak (women's soccer), Nate Hess (football), Noah Locke (men's cross country), Jordan Mitchell (women's tennis), JJ Momper (men's golf), Cara Mooney (women's cross country), Brooke Nichols (volleyball), Daniela Peralta (track & field), Owen Pukys (men's cross country), Taylor Russell (volleyball), Sturle Skigelstrand (men's tennis), Paige Sherlock (rowing), Brooke Smith (volleyball), Emma Sparling (women's golf), Eric Suk (men's tennis), Shannon Wheeler (women's basketball)


Social Impact Award
Winner –  Jayla Pruitt (track & field)

Nominees – Sean Banks (football), Mitchell Colter (football), Molly Grace (softball), Anna Kessler (track & field), Kaia Mendibe (men's tennis), Ryan MacDougall (baseball), Maya Murray (rowing), Sophie Weeks (women's soccer), Alayna Yates (volleyball), Megan Yoder (women's golf)

Most Spirited
Winner –  Eleanor Monyek (women's basketball)

Nominees – Logan Arnold (men's cross country), Raegan Ernst (track & field), Logan Foody (football), Morgan Gerak (women's soccer), Luke Kahle (men's golf), Gavin Krenecki (men's soccer), Anna Newkirk (women's cross country), Andreas Nygaard (men's tennis), Jameson Pillifant (track & field), Emma Schutter (softball), Bailey Vogel (rowing), Avery Vukmanic (women's soccer), Alayna Yates (volleyball).


The Rev. Charles L. Collins Outstanding Citizenship Award was donated by Joseph Zusman, '65, this award recognizes an individual student-athlete who has demonstrated outstanding citizenship.
Recipient – Neena Katauskas (women's tennis)

The Charles R. Kendall Award for Athletic and Academic Achievement was donated by Mrs. Charles R. Kendall and friends, this award recognizes an individual student-athlete who has demonstrated achievement in academic and athletic effort.
Recipient – Nate Santos (men's basketball)

The Award of Excellence is an award that recognizes an individual student-athlete who has demonstrated achievement in academic and athletic effort in women's basketball and/or volleyball.
Recipient – Alayna Yates (volleyball)

There were also 74 student-athletes honored with the 4.00 Flyers Award for recording perfect 4.00 GPAs for the spring or fall semesters. They are:

Lexie Almodovar  (volleyball), Kirnan Bailey (softball), Sarah Bailitz (softball), Cade Beam (football), Katherine Blandford (rowing), Casey Bogues (track & field), Luke Brenner (football), Connor Bruce (men's tennis), Austin Brush (baseball), Isaac Burkart (men's cross country), Rayana Burns (track & field), Elena Caldwell (rowing), Madeleine Casto (rowing), Noah Clemens (men's cross country), Mitchell Colter (football), Dylan DeMaison (football), Travis Densmore (baseball), Julia Diloreto (track & field), Olivia Dobiesz (rowing), Sai Dore (men's tennis), Lauren Fields (women's soccer), Deirdre Flaherty (softball), Jacob Garland (men's golf), Calan Gizelbach (men's cross country), Liv Grenda (women's soccer), Elizabeth Hamilton (women's tennis), Mason Henry (football), Nate Hess (football), Cole Hildebrand (football), Grace Homan (track & field), Bryn Hothem (track & field), Adam Jones (men's cross country), Jeremy Jonozzo (football), Addy Justice (softball), Luke Kahle (men's golf), Maddie Kapsimalis (softball), Neena Katauskas (women's tennis), Anna Kessler (track & field), Gavin Lochow (football), Noah Locke (men's cross country), Elizabeth Lovdal (women's soccer), Mackenzie Lutz (women's soccer), Roisin McGovern (women's soccer), Kaia Mendibe (men's tennis), Lilly Middleton (women's golf), Cara Mooney (track & field), Amelia Moore (volleyball), Yaiza  Navarro Leon (women's soccer), Michael Neel (football), Norah O'Donnell (softball), Natalie Osiecki (women's tennis), Nicolette Papavasiliou (softball), Morgan Peterson (women's golf), Margaret Petrie (rowing), Christina Pfefferkorn (women's golf), Sofiy Piede (rowing), Ella Raimondi (women's soccer), Nate Santos (men's basketball), Sam Schadek (football), Emma Schutter (softball), Hjalti Sigurðsson (men's soccer), Nicole Stephens (women's basketball), Breckin Taylor (men's golf), Marlee Taylor (women's soccer), Thomas Thakady (football), Emily Walker (rowing), Luke Warner (men's golf), Sam Webster (football), Sammie Wells (women's cross country), Mairin Wessner (women's soccer), Madison Wilson (women's soccer), Erica Wojcikiewicz (women's tennis), Alayna Yates (volleyball)

The OASSA Academic Cup was presented to the team with the highest cumulative grade point average combined over the spring and fall semesters. Women's golf earned the honor with a 3.77 team GPA.

The Dayton All-Academic Team is made up of the student-athletes with the highest GPA in their programs. The 2025 team is made up of:
Alejandro Cazorla (baseball), Noah Clemens (men's cross country), Sai Dore (men's tennis), Bryn Hothem (women's cross country), Jeremy Jonozzo (football), Anna Kessler (track & field), Gavin Krenecki (men's soccer), Lilly Middleton (women's golf), Eleanor Monyek (women's basketball), Natalie Osiecki (women's tennis), Ella Raimondi (women's soccer), Nate Santos (men's basketball), Emma Schutter (softball), Breckin Taylor (men's golf), Emily Walker (rowing), Alayna Yates (volleyball).

The Flyer Challenge award is presented to the team that is most involved as a group in community service, participation in personal and educational development initiatives, and in supporting their fellow teams.  The 2025 Flyer Challenge winner is the women's rowing team.

The Flying Right Award went to Joseph Melto Quiah (men's soccer)

Most Outstanding Leader
Winners –  Katherine Blandford (rowing),  Ivy Wolf (women's basketball)

Nominees  – Rayana Burns (track & field), Noah Clemens (men's cross country), Dylan DeMaison (football), Mason Dobie (baseball), Haven Dwyer (softball), Molly Grace (softball), Laura Greb (women's tennis), Jenna Harter (women's golf), Karissa Kaminski (volleyball), Anna Kessler (track & field), Colin O'Rourke (men's golf), Marissa Pritchett (women's cross country), Batoul Reda (women's soccer), Ethan Sassine (men's soccer), Sophie Weeks (women's soccer), Chloe Wong (softball), Alayna Yates (volleyball).


Presidential Scholar-Athlete
Winners – Jeremy Jonozzo (football), Emma Schutter (softball)

Nominees  – Martin Bakken (men's soccer), Noel Blain (women's soccer), Katherine Blandford (rowing), Rayana Burns (track & field), Noah Clemens (men's cross country), Ben Cors (men's golf), Mason Dobie (baseball), Sai Dore (men's tennis), Neena Katauskas (women's tennis), Lilly Middleton (women's golf), Nate Santos (men's basketball), Justine Smith (women's cross country), Ivy Wolf (women's basketball), Alayna Yates (volleyball)

RUDY Award, the most prestigious award of the night which goes to the person who most epitomizes what it means to be a Flyer.

Winner –  Casey Bogues (track & field)

Nominees  – Lexie Almodovar (volleyball), Miles Bonham (men's soccer), Noah Clemens (men's cross country), Ben Cors (men's golf), Katie Fraser (rowing), Ryan Iiams (football), Kyra Karfonta (women's soccer), Neena Katauskas (women's tennis), Joseph Melto Quiah (men's soccer), Marissa Pritchett (women's cross country), Emma Schutter (softball), Arianna Smith (women's basketball), Brady Uhl (men's basketball), Bailey Vogel (rowing), Alia Williams (volleyball), Paul Yeboah (men's soccer), Megan Yoder (women's golf).

 
In addition, the 2025-2026 executive board of SAAC was announced:
President: Eleanor Monyek (women's basketball)

Chairs
Admin: Izzy Kemp (softball)
Career Development: Anna Yater (track & field)
Community Service: Natalie Osiecki (women's tennis), AJ Schuller (football)
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Jadyn Haywood (track & field), Maya Murray (rowing)
Flyer Challenge: Noah Clemens (cross country)
Social Media: Sean Banks (football) 
Social/RUDYS: Emma Sparling (women's golf), Sophie Weeks (women's soccer)
Wellness: Katherine Blandford (rowing)

A special thanks to all who made this year's event possible, including the Varsity D Club who provided this year's senior canvases.