Big Ten Announces 2025-26 Distinguished Scholars

7/13/2026 3:05:00 PM | Baseball, Cross Country, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Men's Ice Hockey, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis, Softball, Track and Field, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Women's Gymnastics, Women's Soccer, Women's Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling, Field Hockey, Gymnastics, Women's Rowing

East Lansing, Mich. -- The Big Ten Conference announced on Monday (July 13) its list of Distinguished Scholars for the 2025-26 academic year.

The class of recipients for the most recently completed academic year includes 150 honorees from Michigan State with 36 boasting a perfect 4.0 GPA during the eligibility period: Nick Sanders (Men's Basketball), Emma Shumate, Ines Sotelo (Women's Basketball); Lilian Knorr, Caro Schafer, Alexa Shaffer (Field Hockey); Michael Masunas (Football); Taylor Kehoe (Women's Golf); Stephanie Lebster, Nikki Smith (Gymnastics); Matt Basgall, Tommi Mannisto (Hockey); Kate Heinecke (Rowing); Josh Mason (Men's Soccer); Julia Belli, Taya Hjorth, Ella Janz, Bella Najera, Sophia Piotrowski (Women's Soccer); Sarah Fazlagic, Hanna Tsitavets (Women's Tennis); Seth Norder, Jack Pennewell, Carter Bissell, Kyle Eberhard, Alex Yon (Men's Track & Field/Cross Country); Liz Anderson, Emily Bardwell , Natalie Blake, Sarah Forsyth, Megan Germain, Gabrielle Jeffries, Sophia Lucki, Kate Stajos, Kate Stewart-Barnett, Chloe Wall (Women's Track & Field/Cross Country); and Taylah Holdem (Volleyball).

Big Ten Faculty Representatives established the Distinguished Scholar Award in 2008 to supplement the Academic All-Big Ten program. Distinguished Scholar Award recipients must have the following criteria for the academic year: Academic All-Big Ten recognition, must have been enrolled full time at the institution for the entire academic year (two semesters or three quarters) and earned a minimum GPA of 3.70 or better (excluding any summer grades). The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for a student's academic career.

The complete list of MSU's 2025-26 Distinguished Scholars:

Baseball
Ryan McKay (Jr., 3.793, Finance, Clarkston, Mich.)
Jasen Oliver (Jr., 3.88, Kinesiology, Almont, Mich.)
Parker Picot (Jr., 3.712, Finance, Rochester Hills, Mich.)

Men's Basketball
Nick Sanders (Sr., 4, Accounting, Franklin, Mich.)

Women's Basketball
Theryn Hallock (Sr., 3.785, Advertising Management, Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Abbey Kimball (Sr., 3.7, Marketing, Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Emma Shumate (Sr., 4, Sustainable Parks, Recreation & Tourism, Dresden, Ohio)
Inés Sotelo (So., 4, Communication, Ourense, Spain)
Grace VanSlooten (Sr., 3.842, Communication, Toledo, Ohio)

Field Hockey
Nina Angeli (So., 3.711, Kinesiology, West Pittson, Pa.)
Mora Cavazza (So., 3.822, International Relations, Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Mia Corbo (So., 3.879, Kinesiology, Miami, Florida)
Katelyn Dulin (Jr., 3.916, Management, Barto, Pa.)
Ashley Herbert (So., 3.935, Psychology, Glasgow, Scotland)
Tatum Johnson (Gr., 3.95, Marketing Research & Analytics (MS), Downingtown, Pa.)
Lilian Knorr (So., 4, Neuroscience, Berlin, Germany)
Serena Mailhe (Jr., 3.906, Advertising Creative, Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Carmen Maudlin (So., 3.933, Kinesiology, Louisville, Ky.)
Bianca Pizano (Jr., 3.893, Kinesiology, Exeter, Pa.)
Caro Schafer (So., 4, Urban & Regional Planning, Hannover, Germany)
Alexa Shaffer (Sr., 4, Kinesiology, Hummelstown, Pa.)

Football
Andrew Dennis (So., 3.765, Human Resources & Labor Relations, Mt. Pleasant, Mich.)
Sam Edwards (Gr., 3.895, Marketing Research & Analytics (MS), Williamston, Mich.)
Michael Masunas (Sr., 4, Management, Tucson, Ariz.)
Ben Nelson (Sr., 3.88, Marketing, Holland, Mich.)
Chris Piwowarczyk (So., 3.75, Finance, Fenton, Mich.)
Darius Snow (Gr., 3.9, Journalism (GC), Frisco, Texas)
Alex VanSumeren (Sr., 3.8, Criminal Justice, Bay City, Mich.)

Men's Golf
Drew Miller (So., 3.884, Marketing, East Lansing, Mich.)
Lorenzo Pinili (Jr., 3.854, Finance, Rochester Hills, Mich.)
Juan Velasquez (So., 3.946, Finance, Floridablanca, Colombia)

Women's Golf
Taylor Kehoe (Sr., 4, Public Relations, Strathroy, Ontario)
Shannon Kennedy (Gr., 3.718, Sport Leadership & Management (GC) Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)
Amelie Weber (Sr. 3.772, Political Science, Laufen, Switzerland)

Gymnastics
Amy Doyle (So., 3.875, Political Theory & Constitutional Democracy, Centerton, Ark.)
Sage Kellerman (Sr., 3.94, Special Education-Learning Disabilities, Croswell, Mich.)
Stephanie Lebster (Sr., 4, Kinesiology, Holland, Mich.)
Emma Misenheimer (Jr., 3.814, Kinesiology, Durham, N.C.)
Nikki Smith (Sr., 4, Studio Art, West Bloomfield, Mich.)
Isabella Trostel (Jr., 3.957, Special Education-Learning Disabilities, Westerville, Ohio)
Olivia Zsarmani (Sr., 3.826, Advertising Management, Statesville, N.C.)

Hockey
Trey Augustine (Jr., 3.884, Finance, South Lyon, Mich.)
Matt Basgall (Sr., 4, Kinesiology, Lake Forest, Ill.)
Dolan Gilbert (Sr., 3.9, Psychology, South Bend, Ind.)
Griffin Jurecki (Jr., 3.82, Finance, Grosse Ile, Mich.)
Tommi Männistö (Jr., 4, Advertising Management, Riihimäki, Finland)

Rowing
Jillian Cox (Sr., 3.714, Psychology, Brighton, Mich.)
Emily Crofut (Sr., 3.911, Human Biology, Grand Ledge, Mich.)
Lillian Davidson-Walshe (Sr., 3.916, Economics, Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Ava Getzloff (So., 3.827, Graphic Design, Wilson, Mich.)
Kate Heinecke (Sr., 4, Biosystems Engineering, Saint Paul, Minn.)
Maddie Kieft (Sr., 3.821, Genetics & Genomics, Ypsilanti, Mich.)
Sarah Lawrence (Sr., 3.722, Human Biology, Grand Ledge, Mich.)
Karina Mitrius (So., 3.933, Landscape Architecture, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)
Sophia Parker (Sr., 3.871, Human Biology, Ada, Mich.)
Alaina Roush (Gr., 3.75, Finance (MS), Petoskey, Mich.)
Ugne Rudaityte (Jr., 3.769, Human Biology, Vilnius, Lithuania)
Jayden Schmaltz (Sr., 3.75, Biosystems Engineering, Stevensville, Mich.)
Susie Schulz (So., 3.783, Kinesiology, Munger, Mich.)
Haley Sornig (Jr., 3.732, Criminal Justice, Rochester, Mich.)

Men's Soccer
Will Eby (Jr., 3.946, Mechanical Engineering, Northville, Mich.)
Jake Grekowicz (So., 3.812, Advertising Management, Rochester, Mich.)
Jack Guggemos (Sr., 3.942, Supply Chain Management, Okemos, Mich.)
Zac Kelly (Sr., 3.88, Crop & Soil Sciences, Holt, Mich.)
Josh Mason (Sr., 4, Kinesiology, South Lyon, Mich.)
Mohamed Saad (So., 3.758, Advertising Management, Dearborn Heights, Mich.)
Ryan Van De Winkle (Sr., 3.806, Finance, Macomb, Mich.)

Women's Soccer
Julia Belli (So., 4, Kinesiology, Dublin, Ohio)
Regan Dalton (Gr., 3.875, Strategic Communication (MA), Rockford, Mich.)
Faith George (So., 3.963, Communication, Laguna Hills, Calif.)
Mimi Hallier (Jr., 3.859, Mathematics-Secondary Education, Lenexa, Kan.)
Taya Hjorth (Gr., 4, Kinesiology (MS), Commerce Township, Mich.)
Maggie Illig (Sr., 3.892, Kinesiology, Troy, Mo.)
Grace Jackson (So., 3.765, Finance, Hudson, Ohio)
Ella Janz (Jr., 4, Kinesiology, Northville, Mich.)
Kaleigh McPherson (So., 3.703, Management, St. Charles, Mo.)
Bella Najera (Jr., 4, Marketing, St. Charles, Ill.)
Sophia Piotrowski (Jr., 4, Kinesiology, Troy, Mich.)
Emerson Sargeant (Sr., 3.944, Strategic Communication (MA), Hartland, Mich.)
Remini Tillotson (Sr., 3.725, Communication, Rochester, Mich.)
Renee Watson (Jr., 3.954, Data Science, Toronto, Ontario)

Softball
Britain Beshears (Sr., 3.732, Supply Chain Management, Novi, Mich.)
Ava Coffinger (So., 3.951, Communication Sciences & Disorders, Richland, Mich.)
Payton Conroy (Jr., 3.703, Criminal Justice, Gastonia, N.C.)
Sydney Doloszycki (Sr., 3.887, Kinesiology, Saint John, Ind.)
Hannah Greer (Jr., 3.839, Journalism, Hopewell Junction, N.Y.)
Hannah Hawley (Sr., 3.8, Supply Chain Management, Coventry, R.I.)
Natalia Kenyatta (So., 3.843, Elementary Education, Madison, Ala.)
Jacey Schuler (So., 3.816, Advertising Management, Antioch, Ill.)
Kendall Smiley (Jr., 3.895, Human Biology, Duluth, Ga.)

Men's Tennis
Taym Alazmeh (Jr., 3.828, Psychology, Damascus, Syria)
Danial Rakhmatullayev (So., 3.755, Communication, Aktau, Kazakhstan)
Mitchell Sheldon (So., 3.95, Advertising Management, Arlington Heights, Ill.)

Women's Tennis
Ellie Blackford (So., 3.79, Comparative Cultures & Politics, Chelmsford, Essex)
Amara Brahmbhatt (So., 3.8, Criminal Justice, Cleveland, Ohio)
Sarah Fazlagic (Sr., 4, Political Science-PreLaw, Louisville, Ky.)
Matilde Morais (Sr., 3.935, Advertising Management, Cascais, Portugal)
Oriana Parkins-Godwin (Sr., 3.812, Economics, London, England)
Issey Purser (Sr., 3.937, Finance, Ascot, United Kingdom)
Hanna Tsitavets (Sr., 4, Criminal Justice, Minsk, Belarus)

Men's Track & Field/Cross Country
Patrick Byrnes (Gr., 3.761, Environmental Geosciences, Plymouth, Mich.)
Parker Lambers (Gr., 3.85, Business Administration (MBA), Holland, Mich.)
Nathan Larson (Gr., 3.769, Sport Coaching, Leadership & Administration (MS), Dexter, Mich.)
Evan Loughridge (So., 3.764, Mechanical Engineering, Pinckney, Mich.)
Seth Norder (So., 4, Statistics, Grand Haven, Mich.)
Jack Pennewell (Gr., 4, Environmental Engineering, St. Clair, Mich.)
Carter Bissell (So., 4, Kinesiology, Rockford, Mich.)
Adam Blue (Sr., 3.76, Economics, Potterville, Mich.)
Landon Cosby (So., 3.785, Computer Science, Charlotte, Mich.)
Kyle Eberhard (Jr., 4, Aquatic Ecology & Management, Linden, Mich.)
Andrew Nolan (Gr., 3.875, Computer Science (MS), Oxford, Mich.)
Drew Novak (So., 3.724, Accounting, DeWitt, Mich.)
Brady Schultz (Sr., 3.704, Economics, Menominee, Mich.)
Dylan Terryberry (Gr., 3.861, Marketing Research & Analytics (MS), Onsted, Mich.)
Alex Yon (Sr., 4, Criminal Justice, Hartland, Mich.)

Women's Track & Field/Cross Country
Elle Adrian (Gr., 3.833, Law Enforcement Intelligence & Analysis (MS), Standish, Mich.)
Liz Anderson (Jr., 4, Genomics & Molecular Genetics, New Boston, Mich.)
Emily Bardwell (Gr., 4, Integrative Biology (MS), Brunswick, Ohio)
Leila Barmore (Sr., 3.9, Psychology, Suprise, Ariz.)
Cookie Baugh (Sr., 3.827, Kinesiology, Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Meghan Beute (Sr., 3.9, Hospitality Business, Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Natalie Blake (Sr., 4, Human Biology, Holland, Mich.)
Morgan Brown (So., 3.944, Microbiology, Livonia, Mich.)
Ella Christensen (So., 3.937, Kinesiology, Northville, Mich.)
Allison Cornell (Jr., 3.75, Marketing, Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Taylor Ewert (Gr., 3.75, Arts, Culture Management & Museum Studies (MA), Beavercreek, Ohio)
Sarah Forsyth (Sr., 4, Communication, Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Megan Germain (So., 4, Kinesiology, Otsego, Mich.)
Kaitlyn Hynes (Gr., 3.869, Dietetics, DeWitt, Mich.)
Gabrielle Jeffries (So., 4, Kinesiology, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)
Mackenzie Johns (So., 3.875, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Cadillac, Mich.)
Anjali Kidambi (Jr., 3.84, Neuroscience, Novi, Mich.)
Sophia Lucki (Gr., 4, Global Health (MS), Toronto, Ontario)
Olivia Millen (Gr., 3.857, Strategic Communication (MA), Plymouth, Mich.)
Madison Osterberg (So., 3.937, Kinesiology, Jackson, Mich.)
Mia Rogan (Jr., 3.955, Social Work, Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Kate Stajos (So., 4, English, Charlotte, NC)
Kate Stewart-Barnett (Gr., 4, Financial Planning & Wealth Management (MS), New Westminster, British Columbia}
Jessica Stieb (Jr., 3.87, Kinesiology, Loup City, Neb.)
Makenna Veen (Gr., 3.894, Sport Coaching, Leadership & Administration (MS), Kalamazoo, Mich.)
Chloe Wall (Sr., 4, Kinesiology, Waterford, Mich.)
Lexy Wilson (Sr., 3.7, Lifelong Education, Ypsilanti, Mich.)

Volleyball
Ky Clayton (Jr., 3.75, Digital Storytelling, Lee's Summit, Mo.)
Danyle Courtley (Gr., 3.875, Kinesiology (MS), Katy, Texas)
Taylah Holdem (Jr., 4, Human Development & Family Studies, Christchurch, New Zealand)

Wrestling
Sammy Agnello (So., 3.854, Management, Shelby Township, Mich.)
Ryan Boucher (Gr., 3.739, Applied Sport Sciences (MS), Lake Oswego, Ore.)
Andy Hampton (Gr., 4, Media Analytics (GC), Rochester, Mich.)
Mason Stewart (So., 3.807, Advertising Management, Northville, Mich.)