The Case Western Reserve University Department of Physical Education and Athletics presented its year-end awards at the annual award ceremony, "The Sparties," on Monday, April 27, at the Kevin & Eleanor Smith Foundation Ballroom inside the Tinkham Veale University Center.
Anand Dharmarajan of the men's basketball team, William Froass of the men's swimming & diving team, Ayla Grabenbauer, Julia Hluck, and Lauren Iagnemma of the women's cross country and track & field teams, Solomon Greene of the men's cross country and track & field teams, Claire Kozma and Martina Torello-Viera of the women's swimming & diving team, Alexis Sassower of the women's soccer team, and Emily Walton of the women's track & field team each received the Patricia B. Kilpatrick Award, presented to the four-year varsity participant with the highest cumulative grade point average. All 10 had perfect cumulative 4.0 GPAs during their collegiate careers.
Gianna Phipps of the women's track & field team was named the Nancy Gray Rookie of the Year, presented annually to a first-year female student-athlete who has made an outstanding contribution to her sport during her initial year of collegiate competition. Phipps was named the University Athletic Association Rookie of the Year during the indoor season and claimed a pair of conference championships in her first season. She set program records in the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter dashes, and helped set school records in the outdoor 4x100-meter and indoor 4x400-meter relays.
The Robert Del Rosa Rookie of the Year, presented annually to a first-year male student-athlete who has made an outstanding contribution to his sport during his initial year of collegiate competition, was awarded to Hunter Keane of the wrestling team. He led the squad in wins as a first-year competitor, finishing the year with a 39-11 record, good for a .780 winning percentage, while totaling 14 pins and seven technical falls. Highlights from his first season include placing seventh in his weight class at the NCAA regionals and second at the prestigious Pete Willson Invitational.
Receiving the Dorothy L. Hoza Award, which is given to the female first-year, sophomore, or junior student-athlete who has made a strong contribution to the women's intercollegiate sports program, maintained a high level of academic achievement, shown leadership in the team, and contributed to the Department and the University, was junior Karen Potts of the softball team. She is a two-time All-UAA honoree, claiming Rookie of the Year honors as a first-year player, while also claiming all-region acclaim during her career. This season, she leads all UAA players in several statistical categories, including runs scored, doubles, home runs, and slugging percentage, while ranking second among all league players in stolen bases. Off the field, she has a 3.93 cumulative GPA as a psychology major while serving as the President of the Hidden Opponent and has been a volunteer at University Hospitals with childhood cancer patients.
The Arthur P. Leary Award was given to junior Tyler Stillson of the baseball team. The award is presented to the outstanding first-year student, sophomore, or junior male student-athlete who has demonstrated leadership in the team, maintained good academic standing in the University, demonstrated good sportsmanship, and made a contribution to the department and the University. Stillson, an All-UAA and All-Region honoree last year, has earned three UAA Athlete of the Week honors and a Division III Pitcher of the Week honorable mention in 2026. He has collected four wins with a 4.83 ERA and is just seven strikeouts away from the program's single-season record, while batting .326 with two home runs and 24 RBIs. Academically, he has a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average.
Jamie Goldfarb of the women's soccer team earned the Emily R. Andrews Award, which is presented to the outstanding senior who has made a strong contribution to the women's intercollegiate sports program, maintained a high level of academic achievement, shown leadership in the team, and contributed service to the department and the University. She appeared in 71 games over her career, earning All-America, All-Region, and All-UAA honors several times as a Spartan. As a first-year player in 2022, she helped lead her team to a second-place finish at the NCAA Championship, claiming a spot on the all-NCAA tournament team. She ended her career with 16 goals, six assists, and 38 points, including six game-winning goals. Academically, she has a 3.97 grade point average and has been a UAA All-Academic and Academic All-District honoree.
John Drumm of the men's swimming & diving team was named the Philip K. "Nip" Heim Award winner, which is based on demonstrated leadership in the team, good academic standing in the University, good sportsmanship, participation in at least two years in the CWRU athletics program, and demonstrated loyalty to the team and University. Drumm is a seven-time All-American over his career, including two first-team honors, and qualified for the NCAA Championship in three of his four years. This season, he claimed three All-America honors with a seventh-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly, an 11th-place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle, and a 16th-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle. He is also a two-time CSCAA Scholar All-America First Team honoree, while claiming a spot on the second team once over his career.
The female student-athlete who has made the most outstanding contributions to her sport was senior Amanda Ngo of the volleyball team, earning the 2026 Glenn and Peggy Nicholls Female Athlete of the Year award. This past season, she was selected as an honorable mention to the All-America team, becoming the first player in program history to earn multiple All-America honors after being named to the Third Team last year. She is also a multiple-time All-UAA and All-Region First Team honoree, and has been selected to the CSC Academic All-District Team each of the last two years. Ngo ended her career ranked seventh in program history in career blocks, sixth in blocks per set, 18th in points, and 18th in kills.
Senior Art Martinez of the wrestling team was named the Dr. David Hutter Male Athlete of the Year as the male student-athlete who has made the most outstanding contributions to his sport. Martinez recorded a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championship this year, becoming the team's first All-American in 14 years. The honor came during a season in which he went 36-7 on the mat with 11 pins and 10 technical falls. He has also been an all-region performer over his career, and ranks second in program history in wins with a 140-39 record with 43 pins and 34 technical falls. Martinez is also a four-time NWCA Scholar All-American.
Finally, senior Claire Kozma of the women's swimming & diving team was selected as the winner of the Bill Sudeck Outstanding Student-Athlete Award, the department's highest individual honor. The award is given to the student-athlete who has demonstrated and achieved significant athletic accomplishments, academic achievements, engagement in campus activities, and shown leadership in athletics and in the classroom. Kozma is an 11-time All-American, including one first-team honor, and has qualified for the NCAA Championship in each of her four years on the team. She is also a three-time All-UAA honoree and has set school records in seven events over her career, including three this season. This year, she was a three-time All-America honoree, placing ninth in the 200-yard freestyle, 13th in the 200-yard butterfly, and 13th in the 200-yard freestyle relay at the NCAA Championships. She has been a standout academically as well, recording a perfect 4.0 grade point average as a human nutrition major and has received CSC Academic All-America honors.
The 2025 CWRU men's tennis team was named the Doug Mooney Program of the Year, which is presented annually to the CWRU varsity team with the highest NCAA Championship finish from the spring of the previous year through the winter of the current year. The Spartans reached the National Championship for the fourth time in the last five seasons last spring, placing second in Division III. The team also won the 2025 UAA Championship, while placing second at this year's conference tournament.
A new addition to the awards slate for 2025-26 was the Spartan Strength Awards, selected by the T3 strength training staff. Daniel King of the football team was named the men's strength athlete of the year, Ellior Rose of the women's tennis team won the women's award, and the wrestling team claimed the team honor.
Also handed out on Monday night were the James C. Wyant Ultimate Spartan Awards, recognizing a member of each varsity athletic team who has shown dedication, effort, leadership, and love for the program and the University. This year's winners included Thomas Downs of the baseball team, Daniel King of the football team, Anand Dharmarajan of the men's basketball team, Jacob Slater of the men's cross country team, Bradley Winter of the men's soccer team, Anmay Devaraj of the men's tennis team, Connor Evans of the men's track & field team, Emil LaSida of the men's swimming & diving team, Karen Potts of the softball team, Katie Yanni of the volleyball team, Emily Plachta of the women's basketball team, Lauren Iagnemma of the women's cross country team, Mackenzie Mueller of the women's soccer team, Claire Kozma of the women's swimming & diving team, Katalina Wang of the women's tennis team, Grace Misiunas of the women's track & field team, and Mathew Gummere of the wrestling team.
In addition, the department celebrated its All-Americans, Academic All-Americans, UAA Champions, and NCAA participants so far during the 2025-26 academic year. CWRU also recognized all of its graduating student-athletes, while Art Martinez and Lauren Iagnemma each gave reflection speeches on their experience at CWRU, which can be viewed below:
The banquet concluded with the 2025-26 CWRU Athletics highlight video, which can be seen below:
