Announcing the 2026 Departmental Award Winners!

WALTHAM, Mass. – On Thursday, April 30, the Brandeis University Department of Athletics held its annual Michael Coven Awards Brunch, honoring the University’s top student-athletes.

First was the Morrie Stein Special Recognition Award, which is presented to a person who, through their unsolicited efforts, makes a significant and unique contribution to the sports program at Brandeis. This year’s honoree was senior Aidan Powers of Chicago, Illinois. Powers was a valuable student worker, contributing his efforts to the department’s sports information, game management, and athletic center building staff. Powers, who is a double major in physics and applied mathematics, also served as the president of the university’s Golf Club. 

Athletic Director’s Awards, presented to student-athletes who represented the University with distinction went to three recipients. First was senior Caroline Alcock of Southborough, Massachusetts, and the women’s soccer team. Alcock was a captain of the women’s soccer team who scored a career-high three goals and helped the Judges to a top-10 national ranking in Division III this season. She helped organize the team’s community service efforts; and posted a 3.71 GPA as an education major;

Next was senior Anna Ertischek of Montgomery, Texas, and the volleyball team. Ertischek was a first-team All-University Athletic Association and All-Region selection in 2025, earning Honorable Mention All-America status in the process. She led the UAA in total kills and points last season, reaching #6 on the University’s all-time kills list;

Finally was senior Rebecca Suarez of New York, New York, and the women’s tennis team. A four-year starter for the squad at both #1 singles and #1 doubles, Suarez is Brandeis’s career leader in doubles victories. She is ranked #7 in the nation this year, putting Suarez on track for an unprecedented fourth NCAA Division III Tournament berth.

The Morrie Stein ’58 Award of Valor, presented to a student athlete who has demonstrated courage both on and off the playing fields and or intervened to better the lives of others, went to senior Maddie Manes of San Clemente, California, and the softball team. A dependable figure on the squad, Manes has missed just seven of the team’s 150 games in her career. She is a .296 career hitter and excellent defender, who has made just four errors in four seasons, earning an NFCA/Rawlings Gold Glove in right field. Off the field, Manes owns a 3.98 GPA as a psychology and Health: Science, Society and Policy double major. She is also a co-founder and president of Brandeis’s chapter of The Hidden Opponent, an organization dedicated to helping destigmatize mental health issues, especially among student-athletes.

The Martin Zelnik ’61 Award is presented annually to “walk-on” or non-recruited student-athletes. The honorees are those who make a significant contribution to a varsity team or teams through spirit, enthusiasm, and work ethic to improve their own skills and those of their teammates. The first winner was senior Alisha Anderson of Denver, Colorado, and the women’s track and field team. Despite not competing in track and field until coming to Brandeis, Anderson became one of the top pole vaulters in program history. She has scored at the University Athletic Association championships in all six of her meets, earning All-UAA Honors with a third-place finish indoors as a junior. Anderson has a 3.96 GPA as a biology major, volunteering with Big Brother/Big Sister and serving as a Community Advisor and biology teaching assistant.

The men’s winner was Solomon Skelton-Harris of Golden Valley, Minnesota, of the swimming and diving team. Skelton-Harris is among Brandeis’s All-Time Top 10 in four different events, and a scorer at the UAA Championships. He went from ranking 13th on the team in scoring as a first-year to ranking fifth as a senior. Skelton-Harris overcame significant injuries as a first-year and sophomore to return and contribute to the team’s success. He owns a 3.95 GPA as a biochemistry major and has served as TA for biology and organic chemistry courses while also serving as an undergraduate departmental representative for the Hebrew department.

The Charlie Napoli ’58 Scholar Athlete Awards are presented to outstanding students who have excelled in the classroom and on the athletic field. The men’s recipient was senior Tyler Correnti of West Newbury, Massachusetts, and the men’s soccer team. After earning the starting goalkeeper role as a senior, Correnti helped the Judges limit their opponents to one or fewer goals in 16 of their 19 games. Brandeis was ranked as high as #5 in Division III in 2025, returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. They ended the season ranked #18. In the classroom, Correnti graduated in December with a 3.89 GPA and degrees in neuroscience and biology. He was a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection.

The women’s honoree was senior Erin Hunt of Wake Forest, North Carolina, and the softball team. Hunt, the Judges’ leadoff hitter and starting left fielder, is a career. 338 hitter with 65 stolen bases and 97 runs scored. This season, she is 11th in the UAA with a .400 average and third with 25 stolen bases. In the classroom, Hunt owns a 3.98 GPA as a sociology and Health: Science, Society and Policy double major. She is an undergraduate facilitator for the Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative, a research assistant in the sociology department and a member of the Community Engaged Scholar program.

The Morris Sepinuck Award is presented to the varsity athlete who not only displays outstanding sportsmanship but also makes a significant contribution to the athletic program and to campus life at Brandeis. The winner was senior Emma Liu of Taipei, Taiwan, and the women’s track and field team. Liu is a three-time All-UAA selection in the hammer throw and 20-pound weight throw, setting a school record in the hammer throw at her most recent conference championship. She also ranks second all-time in the weight throw and is in the top 10 in two other events. A tireless worker in the Department of Athletics, Liu serves as a building manager, varsity weight room manager and event staff worker, and a constant supporter of all Brandeis Athletics teams.

The Rookie of the Year Awards are presented to the top newcomers of the 2025-26 year. The men’s recipient was Oliver Lorenz of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the men’s tennis team. Lorenz has played #1 doubles and #4, #5 and #6 singles for the Judges this season. He is tied for the team lead in wins in singles (19-8) and doubles (16-12) and has earned the most clinching wins for the team this season. Lorenz has helped the Judges reach a #18 national ranking in Division III and a fifth-place finish at the UAA Championships.

The women’s recipient was Mikaela Beeler of Livermore California, and the women’s cross country and track and field teams. Beeler, who did not run cross country in high school, joined the Judges and became one of the team’s top runners by the end of the year. She helped the team place sixth at the UAA Championships as the team’s second runner and third at the NCAA East Regionals, where she was third on the squad, helping Brandeis return to the NCAA Division III Championships for the first time since 2022. Beeler was the team’s second finisher and 18th among all first-years at NCAAs, as the Judges placed 25th. Beeler has also earned her first career All-UAA honor with a third-place finish in the 10,000-meter run at the outdoor track and field championships.

The Max I. Silber Award is presented to the top women’s student-athlete of the year. It went to sophomore Sarai Sealy of New York, New York, who competes on the women's track and field team. Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Sealy has continued her impressive career in the triple jump. She earned first-team All-America honors during the indoor season, fishing fourth at the NCAA Division III Championships, going from ninth to fourth on her final attempt. Sealy won the UAA championship in the event both indoors and outdoors, adding All-UAA honors in both long jumps as well. She was named the UAA Field Most Outstanding Performer of the outdoor championships. Sealy also set school records in the 60-meter dash and as part of the 4x200-meter relay.

The Harry, Joseph, and Ida Stein Award is presented to the top male student-athlete of the year. It went to senior Lev BenAvram of Bethesda, Maryland, and the men’s fencing team. BenAvram became Brandeis’s first four-time NCAA Fencing Championship qualifier in two decades, qualifying in the saber. After finishing eight at NCAAs as a junior, despite suffering a hand injury less than two weeks before nationals, BenAvram finished fifth this season to earn All-America honors for the second year in a row. The finish was the best since Olympian Tim Morehouse ’00 placed fourth as a senior. BenAvram is currently ranked seventh in the U.S. in the saber as he seeks to become Brandeis’s second varsity athlete to compete in the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

The James McCully '86 Awards, are presented to seniors who, over the course of their career, best exemplify the character, dedication and good sportsmanship that depicted soccer All-American and inaugural Hall of Famer Jim McCully's career at Brandeis. The men’s winner was Nico Beninda of Monroe Township, New Jersey, and the men’s soccer team. A four-year starter and senior captain as a center-midfielder, Beninda was the Judges’ top scorer in each of the past two seasons. His six goals, two assists and 14 points in 2025 helped pace Brandeis to a final national ranking of #18 and a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time since 2017. Beninda owns a 3.50 GPA as a business major with a minor in finance, and he has been active with the team’s Team IMPACT teammate and volunteering at Whittemore Elementary School in Waltham. 

The women’s McCully Award winner was Ragini Kannan of Westford, Massachusetts, and the softball team. Kannan has been a stalwart starting pitcher for the Judges for the past four seasons. With three games left on the Judges’ schedule this season, Kannan ranks second in career strikeouts and fifth in career wins, while also appearing in the top five in career starts, appearances, innings pitched and shutouts. She was a first-team All-UAA selection as a first-year, when she went 15-5 with a 2.02 ERA. Off the field, Kannan has a 3.44 GPA as a computer science and Health: Science, Society and Policy major. She is the co-president of the department’s Student Athletes of Color affinity group and has been named the Eli N. and Phyllis J. Segal Fellow for Citizen Leadership.