Spartanburg, S.C. – Western Carolina had 218 student-athletes among the 2,698 conference-wide to be named to the 2025-26 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll released today by the league office. The 2,698 honorees marked the second-most in league history, compared to the 2,735 a season ago.

Each of the SoCon's 10 full-member institutions had at least 170 honorees, with nine schools having more than 200 honorees. The student-athletes honored represent men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field, baseball, men's and women's golf, rifle, men's and women's basketball, wrestling, softball, men's and women's tennis, and volleyball.  

Across the conference, 281 student-athletes held a perfect 4.0 GPA, with Western Carolina finishing fifth in the league with 24 representatives. A combined 11 sports were represented on the 4.0 list for the Catamounts, led by six from women's track and field and three apiece from women's cross country and women's soccer. 

The Catamounts placed fourth in the league for commissioner's medals with 86, as the league had 862 spanning the conference. The medal recognizes student-athletes with a GPA of 3.8 or higher throughout the 2025-26 academic year. 

Of the 218 representatives for the honor, baseball led the way with 34 honorees on the honor roll, followed by 28 for football. Women's Track & Field had 24, and softball earned 21 on the squad. 

Through the 2025-26 academic year, Western Carolina placed 44 student-athletes on the CSC Academic All-District team across its 16 sports – six apiece from football and women's soccer, five from softball, men's and women's track & field, four from baseball, women's golf, and volleyball, two from men's golf, and one each from men's and women's basketball and women's tennis.

The SoCon Academic Honor Roll was established in 1989 to recognize the conference's academic success and consists of student-athletes who participated in conference-sponsored varsity sports and posted a 3.0 grade point average or higher for the academic year.

2026 Commissioner's Medal Recipients (* – 4.0 Student-Athletes):
Walker Fox – Baseball – Integrated Health Sciences
Kaden Fuller * – Baseball – Integrated Health Sciences
Griffin Guinther – Baseball – Construction Management
Gavin Maines – Baseball – Sport Management 
Cam Murray – Baseball – Masters – Sport Management 
Wyatt Stanley – Baseball – Health & Physical Education
Caleb Williams * – Baseball – Biology

Vernon Collins – Men's Basketball – Psychology

Ary Dizon * – Women's Basketball – Masters – Sport Management 
Ellie Fyans – Women's Basketball – Integrated Health Sciences
Ally Hollifield – Women's Basketball – Integrated Health Sciences 
Riley Price – Women's Basketball – Psychology
Justice Zimmerman * – Women's Basketball – Sociology

Eli Clonch – Men's Cross Country & Track & Field – Biology 
Alexander Ruge – Men's Cross Country & Track & Field – Mechanical Engineering
Jaleb Saunders * – Men's Cross Country & Track & Field – Criminal Justice
Chase Thurber * – Men's Cross Country & Track & Field – Biology 

Jessica Connole * – Women's Cross Country & Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences
Landey Green * – Women's Cross Country & Track & Field – Psychology 
Amaya Hicks – Women's Cross Country & Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences
Grace Lane – Women's Cross Country & Track & Field – Communication Sciences & Disorders
Sydney Lowe – Women's Cross Country & Track & Field – Biology
Avery Mays * – Women's Cross Country & Track & Field – Elementary Education
Riley McKinney – Women's Cross Country & Track & Field – Art
Peyton Skoglund – Women's Cross Country & Track & Field – Electrical Engineering 

AJ Colombo – Football – Master of Business Administration
Steven Hamby – Football – Integrated Health Sciences
Christian Lowery – Football – Marketing
Micah Nelson * – Football – Master of Sport Management 
Cole Craddock – Football – Business Administration and Law
Matthew Keener * – Football – Integrated Health Sciences & Psychology
Bryan McCollum – Football – Integrated Health Sciences

Jace Butcher – Men's Golf – Management & Finance

Sadler Miller – Women's Golf/Track & Field – Interior Design 

Adrienne Altizer * – Women's Soccer – Integrated Health Sciences 
Erika Gariepy * – Women's Soccer – Engineering 
Rylie Niemeyer – Women's Soccer – Integrated Health Sciences
Ava Robitaille – Women's Soccer –  Art
Emma Soucy – Women's Soccer – Integrated Health Sciences
Leanne Trudel – Women's Soccer – Emergency Medical Care
Gabby Vatrano – Women's Soccer –  Elementary Education 
Samantha Vibberts – Women's Soccer – Integrated Health Sciences 
Samantha Whitaker * – Women's Soccer – Finance & Accounting 
Abbie Wise – Women's Soccer – Nursing 
Amara Yetka – Women's Soccer – Engineering 

Lily Bell * – Softball – Business Administration & Law/Marketing
Briony Bunsic – Softball – Undeclared
Amari Burce – Softball – Undeclared 
Rylee Butler – Softball – Communication Science & Disorders
Sydney Dirks – Softball – Criminal Justice
Amanda Fulton – Softball – Integrated Health Sciences
Courtney Marks – Softball – Management & Marketing
Autumn Russell – Softball – Integrated Health Sciences
Tate Stewman – Softball – Business Admin & Law/Marketing
Taylor Waitley * – Softball – Forensic Science/Biology 
Becka Wonsick – Softball – Integrated Health Sciences/Psychology 

Mia Miranda – Women's Tennis – Psychology/Communications
Axelle Van Beurden – Women's Tennis – Integrated Health Sciences
Hokualohi Lui – Women's Tennis – Finance 
Dakota Braucher – Men's Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences
Arrone Cosentino – Men's Track & Field – Marketing
Anthony Hawkins Jr. – Men's Track & Field – Finance
Christian Roberts – Men's Track & Field – Construction Management 
Bennett Whitefield * – Men's Track & Field – Biology
Trevor Williams – Men's Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences

Morgan Edwards – Women's Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences 
Emma Goins – Women's Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences
Celia Gully * – Women's Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences 
Bella Hilleary * – Women's Track & Field – Communications 
Hannah Kline * – Women's Track & Field – Psychology 
Shaneil Lysight * – Women's Track & Field – Engineering 
Gaby Reeve * – Women's Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences
Toria Roundtree – Women's Track & Field – Political Science
Shaniya Shirley – Women's Track & Field – Undeclared
Millie Simmons – Women's Track & Field – Psychology 
Raelyn Vadala – Women's Track & Field – Criminal Justice
Ashlyn Watkins * – Women's Track & Field – Elementary Education
Marissa Watts – Women's Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences/Chemistry
Miranda Watts – Women's Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences

Katie Boney – Volleyball – Management
Elise Gurley – Volleyball – Integrated Health Sciences
Evelyn Keefer – Volleyball – Undeclared
Samantha Kranzler – Volleyball – Marketing
Tatum Sharp – Volleyball – Interior Design/Innovation Leadership Entrepreneurship 
Peri Subat – Volleyball – Accounting/Finance 
Halley Tang * – Volleyball – Integrated Health Sciences