Bears Send 99 To Academic All-Southern Conference Recognition
6/29/2026 7:44:00 PM | Baseball, Football, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Track & Field, Volleyball, Women's Tennis, Athletics Department
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Ninety-nine scholar-athletes, including a league-best 12 Bears that carried a maintained a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average, were among 1,023 conference-wide to be named to the 2025-26 Academic All-Southern Conference Team.
Each of the SoCon's 10 full-member institutions had at least 50 honorees. The listing of scholar-athletes 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.
To be eligible for the academic all-conference team, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.3 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) after the respective semester of their in-season sport and be required to compete in at least half of their team's competitions during the season. In addition, the student-athletes must have completed at least three semesters at their institutions, making true freshmen and first-year transfers ineligible for inclusion.
A total of 72 individuals carried a 4.0 GPA on the way to clinching eligibility for the academic all-conference squads, including a dozen that compete for the Orange & Black. Those honorees include baseball's Jeb Johnson; men's cross country's Peyton Millwood, Yianni Pothoulakis, Hagan Russell and Maxwell Wakeland; men's soccer's Henry Hampshaw; women's cross country's Emma James and Abbie Kallbreier; and women's soccer's Anna Bachman, Lindsay Bell, Lena Dykes and Sara Engels.
Mercer's Southern Conference champion football team led the way for the Bears with 23 honorees, followed by 13 recognitions awarded to the track & field team. Women's soccer had 13 honorees, while the SoCon champion baseball team sent 10 to the distinguished list.
Baseball (10)
Jess Ackerman
Lawson Cole
Collin Ewaldsen
Reid Fagerstrom
Andrew Garnett
Drew Johnson
Jeb Johnson
Titan Kamaka
Braydon Kersey
Garrett Lambert
Men's Basketball (1)
Brady Shoulders
Women's Basketball (3)
Ariana Bennett
Nahawa Diarra
Stacy Utomi
Men's Cross Country (8)
Chris Connolly
Jonathan Greene
Will Herlihy
Peyton Millwood
Jake Peters
Yianni Pothalakis
Hagan Russell
Maxwell Wakeland
Women's Cross Country (3)
Emma James
Olivia Jones
Abbie Kallbreier
Football (23)
Samuel Albee
Tommy Bliss
Antonio Butts Jr.
William Cotney
Sully Croker
Julian Fox
Reice Griffith
Jaiden Hamilton
Kendall Harris
Kaleb Hutchinson
Xavier Jennings
Carter Kermott
Darrian King
Billy Martin
John McConnell
Tyler Murray
Isaac Prince
Luke Schultz
Cole Shaw
Brayden Smith
Jordan Swain
Kai Reyes
Andrew Zock
Men's Golf (2)
Henry Robards
Nathan Trodd
Women's Golf (1)
Katie Scheck
Men's Soccer (4)
Fernando Arteaga
Bryce Griffith
Henry Hampshaw
Grant Hampton
Women's Soccer (11)
Anna Bachman
Lindsay Bell
Karlie Dell
Lena Dykes
Morganne Eikelbarner
Sara Engels
Sydney Farr
Maddie Hill
Hayden Lepley
Avery Parker
Marianna Rapani
Softball (6)
Isabel Fernandez
Grace Jones
Katheryn Rearley
Grace Roark
Mariyah Sanchez
Madison Starr
Men's Tennis (5)
Howell Burns
Amen Prince Gandonou
Shingo Masuda
Hod'Abalo Isak Padio
Nemanja Stefanovic
Women's Tennis (5)
Marie Bannmeyer
Marina de Diego Quinones
Jelena Gojkovic
Ines Hömberg Fernandez
Tea Zivic
Track & Field (13)
Akira Brown
Mackenzie Crowe
Emma James
Olivia Jones
Arielle Livingston
Kendyl Maddox
Lauryn McDougald
Charity Obazughanmwen
Iris Porter
Pria Pullin
Paula Sandoval
Jayla Simmons
Melissa Ubani
Volleyball (4)
Sammi Bergjans
Jessica Dunn
Sophia Henry
Joselynn Sanjurjo
Each of the SoCon's 10 full-member institutions had at least 50 honorees. The listing of scholar-athletes 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.
To be eligible for the academic all-conference team, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.3 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) after the respective semester of their in-season sport and be required to compete in at least half of their team's competitions during the season. In addition, the student-athletes must have completed at least three semesters at their institutions, making true freshmen and first-year transfers ineligible for inclusion.
A total of 72 individuals carried a 4.0 GPA on the way to clinching eligibility for the academic all-conference squads, including a dozen that compete for the Orange & Black. Those honorees include baseball's Jeb Johnson; men's cross country's Peyton Millwood, Yianni Pothoulakis, Hagan Russell and Maxwell Wakeland; men's soccer's Henry Hampshaw; women's cross country's Emma James and Abbie Kallbreier; and women's soccer's Anna Bachman, Lindsay Bell, Lena Dykes and Sara Engels.
Mercer's Southern Conference champion football team led the way for the Bears with 23 honorees, followed by 13 recognitions awarded to the track & field team. Women's soccer had 13 honorees, while the SoCon champion baseball team sent 10 to the distinguished list.
Baseball (10)
Jess Ackerman
Lawson Cole
Collin Ewaldsen
Reid Fagerstrom
Andrew Garnett
Drew Johnson
Jeb Johnson
Titan Kamaka
Braydon Kersey
Garrett Lambert
Men's Basketball (1)
Brady Shoulders
Women's Basketball (3)
Ariana Bennett
Nahawa Diarra
Stacy Utomi
Men's Cross Country (8)
Chris Connolly
Jonathan Greene
Will Herlihy
Peyton Millwood
Jake Peters
Yianni Pothalakis
Hagan Russell
Maxwell Wakeland
Women's Cross Country (3)
Emma James
Olivia Jones
Abbie Kallbreier
Football (23)
Samuel Albee
Tommy Bliss
Antonio Butts Jr.
William Cotney
Sully Croker
Julian Fox
Reice Griffith
Jaiden Hamilton
Kendall Harris
Kaleb Hutchinson
Xavier Jennings
Carter Kermott
Darrian King
Billy Martin
John McConnell
Tyler Murray
Isaac Prince
Luke Schultz
Cole Shaw
Brayden Smith
Jordan Swain
Kai Reyes
Andrew Zock
Men's Golf (2)
Henry Robards
Nathan Trodd
Women's Golf (1)
Katie Scheck
Men's Soccer (4)
Fernando Arteaga
Bryce Griffith
Henry Hampshaw
Grant Hampton
Women's Soccer (11)
Anna Bachman
Lindsay Bell
Karlie Dell
Lena Dykes
Morganne Eikelbarner
Sara Engels
Sydney Farr
Maddie Hill
Hayden Lepley
Avery Parker
Marianna Rapani
Softball (6)
Isabel Fernandez
Grace Jones
Katheryn Rearley
Grace Roark
Mariyah Sanchez
Madison Starr
Men's Tennis (5)
Howell Burns
Amen Prince Gandonou
Shingo Masuda
Hod'Abalo Isak Padio
Nemanja Stefanovic
Women's Tennis (5)
Marie Bannmeyer
Marina de Diego Quinones
Jelena Gojkovic
Ines Hömberg Fernandez
Tea Zivic
Track & Field (13)
Akira Brown
Mackenzie Crowe
Emma James
Olivia Jones
Arielle Livingston
Kendyl Maddox
Lauryn McDougald
Charity Obazughanmwen
Iris Porter
Pria Pullin
Paula Sandoval
Jayla Simmons
Melissa Ubani
Volleyball (4)
Sammi Bergjans
Jessica Dunn
Sophia Henry
Joselynn Sanjurjo
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Baseball
TE
/ Football
M/F
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
/ Women's Tennis
G
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Basketball
S
/ Volleyball
S
/ Football
Sprints
/ Track & Field
/ Men's Tennis
LB
/ Football
RHP
/ Baseball
/ Men's Cross Country
OL
/ Football
K
/ Football
Distance
/ Track & Field
/ Women's Tennis
F
/ Women's Soccer
G
/ Women's Basketball
S
/ Volleyball
D
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
RHP/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
M
/ Women's Soccer
UTL
/ Softball
LB
/ Football
/ Men's Tennis
RHP
/ Baseball
/ Women's Tennis
/ Men's Cross Country
M
/ Men's Soccer
K
/ Football
LS
/ Football
GK
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's Soccer
WR
/ Football
OH
/ Volleyball
/ Men's Cross Country
D/M
/ Women's Soccer
S
/ Football
Distance
/ Track & Field
OL
/ Football
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP/INF
/ Softball
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
INF
/ Baseball
S
/ Football
INF/RHP
/ Baseball
OL
/ Football
RHP
/ Baseball
D/M
/ Women's Soccer
Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
RB
/ Football
/ Men's Tennis
P
/ Football
Jumps
/ Track & Field
/ Men's Cross Country
OL
/ Football
Sprints
/ Track & Field
/ Men's Tennis
GK
/ Women's Soccer
/ Men's Cross Country
Distance
/ Track & Field
/ Men's Cross Country
LB
/ Football
Jumps
/ Track & Field
M
/ Women's Soccer
RHP
/ Softball
CB
/ Football
RHP
/ Softball
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Cross Country
INF
/ Softball
Distance
/ Track & FieldMB
/ Volleyball
/ Women's Golf
OL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
G
/ Men's Basketball
Jumps
/ Track & Field
WR
/ Football
RHP
/ Softball
/ Men's Tennis
DL
/ Football
/ Men's Golf
Sprints
/ Track & Field
G
/ Women's Basketball
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Tennis
DL
/ FootballSunday, May 10
Saturday, May 09
Saturday, May 09
Sunday, May 03
