SANTA CRUZ, Ca. – On Friday evening, the UC Santa Cruz Athletics and Recreation department celebrated The Sammies, an annual end of year student-athlete banquet, at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to celebrate the incredible achievements of the Banana Slugs during the 2024-25 seasons. In what was a stellar year for UCSC, the Banana Slugs brought home Conference Championship trophies seven times this season with men's and women's cross country, women's soccer, men's swim and dive, and men's and women's track and field. Notably, the men's track and field/cross country program completed the program's first Triple Crown, taking home the C2C Championship Title in men's cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field.

On the national stage, the Banana Slugs had six teams qualify for the NCAA Championships with women's cross country, men's cross country, women's soccer, men's swim and dive, men's track and field, and women's track and field. The Banana Slugs earned All-American honors in women's cross country, men's swim and dive, men's and women's track and field, and men's volleyball. Kyle Ownbey earned Honorable Mention All-American honors after recording the best hitting percentage in program history with a .497 clip on the season. In the 2025 season, Ownbey recorded 194 kills with a 2.06 kills per set average through 27 matches (94 sets) for UCSC. Ownbey ended the season in second in total blocks with 49, recording 42 block assists and seven solo blocks. Notably, Kenzie Seymour earned the women's cross country program's first All-American honor in history with a 21st place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships. Kyle Reitan made headlines for men's swim and dive after setting a program record in the 50 free to move from the 28th seed at the NCAA Division III Championships in the event to the Championship final before taking sixth overall to earn First Team All-American honors. Reitan's All-American finish is the first All-American honor for the men's swim and dive program since 2016-17. The Banana Slugs also saw Elena Stanciu and Evan Hofstetter earn their first career All-American honors in track and field while Eric Anderson capped off a storied career with his fourth All-American honor in the 1500m.

Outside of athletics, Maddy Gruender became just the second Banana Slug to earn the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Melody Ghaffari and Andrew Tjoa were named to the Allstate NACDA Good Works Team, honoring their excellence in academics, athletics, and community service. Together they helped launch ACEing Autism at UCSC, a program that uses tennis to support and empower children with autism. Additionally, the Banana Slugs launched the Sigma chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma, a national honor society recognizing student-athletes with a 3.5 GPA or higher. On May 12th, we inducted our inaugural class with 70 student-athletes. The Banana Slugs also recognized 130 Outstanding Scholar-Athletes at The Sammies, honoring those who have over a 3.75 GPA.
 
Each year, the UC Santa Cruz Athletics and Recreation department recognizes a collection of special awards at the end of the spring season.

See below for a list of these year's awards and honorees:

SAAC Slug of the Year: Amanda Scott, Women's Soccer
Highest Team GPA: Men's Cross Country – 3.61
Highest Team GPA: Women's Cross Country – 3.76
Staff Member of the Year: Hailey Garlich, Swim and Dive
Banana Slugs Team of the Year: Women's Soccer

Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Helena Janku. Her second year in a row earning this honor, Helena, a third-year environmental studies and legal studies double major, excels both academically and athletically. As a Cross Country/Track and Field athlete, Helena led the women's cross country program to their fourth consecutive C2C Cross Country Championships earning the Individual Title for the second year in a row, garnering First-Team All-Conference honors. Helena placed 7th at the NCAA West Regionals, playing a key role in securing the team's third-ever appearance at Nationals. During the Indoor Track and Field season, she captured gold in both the 5K and 3K, setting both the C2C indoor record and the C2C Championship meet record in the 3000m. Her 20-point performance helped lead the women's team to a 2nd place overall finish.

Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Alex Wille. A second-year Environmental Studies and Marine Biology double major, Alex competes in distance events, and he is also known to cover just as much distance, if not more, running around to catch up to and cheer on his teammates competing in events at meets. Alex PR'd in the 8k during this Cross Country season earning a spot on the C2C Cross Country championship roster. During the Track and Field season he PR'd in the 3k and 10K. His attention to detail in the classroom also carries over to the track as he is the most knowledgeable about his teammate's times, distances, and performances.

Strong Slug Award: Alyssa Jackson, Jackson Chandler. Alyssa and Jackson led their respective team workouts, both in and out of season with their consistency and energy. Even when injuries limited what they could do personally, Alyssa and Jackson continued to lead by example and encouraged their teammates to push themselves every workout. As captains, Jackson has shared his experiences with some of the leaders from other teams and Alyssa has helped organize additional training for women's basketball in and out of the weight room.

Newcomer of the Year: Ainsley Gove. Awarded the 2024 C2C Women's Soccer Rookie of the Year and 2nd Team All-Conference, Ainsley made her presence felt between the goalposts. She led the team to the first C2C Championship in program history following a 2-0 shutout victory over CNU who entered the game on an 84 game unbeaten streak. The win saw the Slugs earn the conference AQ bid which placed them back into the NCAA tournament field for the first time since 2019.

Newcomer of the Year: Andrew Koika. His first year was highlighted by breaking school records and winning the conference championship in the 100 fly, 200 free relay, 400 free relay. He also broke a school record in the 200 medley relay, which was third at conference, took second place in the 50 free, and third in the 100 free. He also made the NCAA championship and was Second Team All American in the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay, which were 11th and 16th in the country, respectively.

Most Inspirational Award: Sydney Boyd. Coach Lilia describes Sydney Boyd as a player and captain with an exceptional attitude, outstanding work rate and always arrives the most fit and prepared. Balancing dual sports, she maintains a rigorous training schedule, coordinating practices between teams and volunteering with youth with special needs. This morning Sydney was named the C2C Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year Boyd was most recently selected to serve on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee executive board as next year's Community Service Coordinator.

Student-Athlete of the Year: Kenzie Seymour. Kenzie Seymour made history as UC Santa Cruz's first Women's Cross Country All-American, placing 21st at the NCAA Championships. She also finished third at the NCAA West Regional, helping the team to a third-place finish. In track, she was runner-up in both the mile and 3,000m at the C2C Indoor Championships. During the outdoor season, she broke the school record in the 3,000m steeplechase, and went on to win the steeplechase and take second in the 5,000m at the C2C Outdoor Championships. Additionally, she qualified for Nationals in the 3,000m Steeplechase.

Student-Athlete of the Year: Eric Anderson. Eric Anderson earned an NCAA Cross Country Championships bid with standout finishes—3rd at the C2C meet and 14th at NCAA West Regionals. He then swept the 800m and mile at the C2C Indoor Championships, helping UCSC win its first-ever indoor title, and placed 4th in the mile at nationals to earn his third All-American honor. Outdoors, Eric repeated as C2C champion in the 800m and 1500m, set school records in the 800m and 1500m, and helped lead the Slugs to their first C2C Outdoor title, bringing his career total to 10 C2C event wins and earning the 2025 C2C Outdoor Male Athlete of the Year. At the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Anderson finished as an All American in the 1500m, topping off his career with four First Team All-American honors.