UC Santa Cruz Celebrates a Year of Excellence at the 2026 Sammies Awards Ceremony
7/23/2026 12:12:00 PM | General, Men's Basketball, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis, Men's Track and Field, Men's Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Swim and Dive, Women's Tennis, Women's Track and Field, Women's Volleyball, Women's Soccer, Men's Cross Country, Men's Swim and Dive
SANTA CRUZ, Ca. - UC Santa Cruz student-athletes, coaches, and staff gathered at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on Friday, June 5th, for The 2026 Sammies, celebrating another remarkable year of athletic achievement, academic excellence, and community involvement. Hosted by the UC Santa Cruz Athletics department, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Co-Presidents Ryan Williams and Faith Dyogi, along with members of the incoming and outgoing SAAC Executive Boards, the annual banquet recognized the accomplishments of Banana Slug student-athletes across all 15 varsity programs.
Academic Excellence
UC Santa Cruz student-athletes continued to set the standard for academic success, combining for an impressive 3.63 average GPA across all student-athletes.
Highlights from the academic honors include:
- Outstanding Scholar-Athletes: 125 Banana Slugs achieved a 3.75 cumulative GPA or higher, with 91% of all student-athletes maintaining a GPA above 3.0.
- Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society: 66 new student-athletes were inducted into UCSC's California Sigma chapter on May 19th.
Scholar-Athletes of the Year:
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Helena Janku (Women's Cross Country / Track & Field) earned her third consecutive Scholar-Athlete Award. Janku made history as the first Banana Slug to ever earn the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award, awarded to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at an NCAA championship site.
Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Alex Wille (Men's Cross Country / Track & Field), a double major in Environmental Sciences and Marine Biology, captured his second career Scholar-Athlete Award.
Highest Team GPAs:
Women's Team: Women's Soccer earned top honors with a 3.68 team GPA.
Men's Team: Men's Basketball claimed the top spot with a 3.61 team GPA.
Student-Athletes of the Year & Major Awards
The night's top honors went to standout student-athletes who dominated on the national and regional stage:
Female Student-Athlete of the Year: Elena Stanciu (Women's Cross Country / Track & Field). Stanciu captured four conference titles, led two championship teams, earned First Team All-American honors, and competed in the triple crown of NCAA Championships (Cross Country, Indoor Track & Field, and Outdoor Track & Field).
Male Student-Athlete of the Year: Kyle Reitan (Men's Swim & Dive). Reitan delivered one of the most prolific seasons in program history, winning five conference titles and earning five NCAA All-American honors while setting multiple school records.
Female Newcomer of the Year: Nia Kim (Women's Track & Field), who earned five Indoor All-Region honors, Second Team All-American status in the multi-events, and was named C2C Indoor Newcomer of the Year.
Male Newcomer of the Year: Greyson Davies (Men's Swim & Dive), who set seven school records, won the 200 fly conference title, and earned Second Team All-American honors.
Most Inspirational Award: J.J. Stoen (Men's Swim & Dive), recognized for his comeback from midseason back surgery to make multiple championship A finals and earn two First Team All-American honors at the NCAA Championships.
Banana Slug Team of the Year: Women's Swim & Dive, honored for embodying the Banana Slug spirit through sportsmanship, community engagement, and supporting their fellow student-athletes.
Community Service & Staff Recognitions
Community Service Leadership: UCSC student-athletes logged over 1,700 hours of community service through Helper Helper this past year, generating an estimated $65,000 economic impact. Women's Golf ranked #1 in Division III for service hours in their sport, while Women's Swim & Dive's Jolie Mosack ranked among the top three individual female DIII athletes nationally.
Additionally, UC Santa Cruz Athletics was honored as one of seven local organizations in the Building Community category at the 2026 Be the Difference Awards, hosted by the Santa Cruz Volunteer Center. This recognition highlights the collective dedication of Banana Slug student-athletes to making a lasting, positive impact across the local Santa Cruz community.
Staff Member of the Year: Head Athletic Trainer Stephanie Raudenbush was honored for her tireless support and care for Banana Slug student-athletes.
SAAC Slug of the Year: Honour Dufresne was recognized for her leadership in launching student well-being initiatives and publishing the SAAC newsletter.
Strong Slug Awards: Ella Sniezek (Women's Volleyball) and Jordan Adejumo (Men's Volleyball) were named the 2026 Strong Slug winners for their relentless work ethic in the weight room.
Social Media Team of the Year: Men's Volleyball captured the inaugural award for their engaging and creative content throughout the season.
Championship Teams & All-Americans
The ceremony also celebrated conference championship teams in Women's Cross Country, Men's Cross Country, Men's Swim & Dive, and Women's Outdoor Track & Field.
In total, 14 Banana Slugs earned All-American honors on the national stage this season, including Luke Holland, Kyle Ownbey, Andrew Koika, Kyle Reitan, Charlie Hussain, J.J. Stoen, Greyson Davies, PJ Fortune, Bryson Schmid, Massimo Reyna, Lillian Wolfinger, Nia Kim, Elena Stanciu, and Evan Hofstetter.
