Bison Student-Athlete Award Winners Announced at The Buckys Gala

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bison student-athletes, coaches, and staff gathered in Sojka Pavilion on Monday night for The Buckys, Bucknell Athletics' annual year-end awards gala. Led by student emcees Kennedy Narine from the rowing team and wrestler Myles Takats, we celebrated more than just wins and records, but also the grit, leadership, and emotional moments that defined the season.

Bucknell's traditional senior awards banquet was revamped last year and rebranded as The Buckys, and the event now includes student-athletes from all classes. Many of the traditional year-end awards, such as the Christy Mathewson Award for the top athletes in the graduating class and the Alvin F. Jackson Jr. Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award, continue to be presented to members of the senior class. Now, several awards have revamped to include all eligible student-athletes, such as the Breakout Star, Rookie of the Year, and Player of the Year. The evening also included interactive elements. Student-athletes in attendance voted on awards such as Play of the Year, Moment of the Year, and Team of the Year.

This year's Christy Mathewson Award honorees were Kira Leclercq from field hockey and Amar Tahirovic from men's tennis. Kira was a dominant defender who earned All-America honors this past fall, and Amar became Bucknell's all-time wins leader and helped the squad win the Patriot League title in 2025. Congratulations to all of this year's award recipients!

BRYAN-HUMPHREYS AWARD:  Presented to the 2025-26 "Rookie of the Year". (RECIPIENTS: Caleigh Cummiskey, Brady Hoar)
RONALD J. "PETE" PEDRICK AWARD:  Presented to the 2025-26 "Breakout Performer of the Year". (RECIPIENTS: Kelly Byrne, Owen Kovacs)
'RAY BUCKNELL AWARD: Presented to the student-athlete who through his/her actions has worked to eliminate attitudes and actions that have separated, excluded or marginalized people in the past and has facilitated true understanding and recognition among multiple campus and Lewisburg community constituencies. (RECIPIENTS: Catherine Dineen, Haley Speicher)
LEE S. "BUD" RANCK MEMORIAL AWARD:  Presented to student-athletes who have demonstrated outstanding leadership during the 2025-26 season. (RECIPIENTS: Bella Guzman, Jackson Sullivan)
ROBERT A. LATOUR SERVICE AWARD:  Presented for extraordinary service to Bucknell and local communities. (RECIPIENTS: Mirra Manolov, Terian Williams II)
EDWARD W. PANGBURN AWARD: Presented to a member of the senior class for sportsmanship, fellowship, and contribution to the University. (RECIPIENTS: Kyla Kelly, Dylan Chappell)
BRADLEY N. TUFTS AWARD:  Presented to a member of the senior class in recognition of exceptional athletic achievement and contribution to Bucknell athletics. (RECIPIENTS: Megan Krestinski, Adam Stavrakas)
JOHN F. ZELLER AWARD: Presented to a member of the senior class for outstanding contributions to Bison Athletics, while exemplifying the best of Bucknell in the manner that John Zeller did in his 68 years of service to the University. (RECIPIENTS: Meghan White, Freddie Lapworth)
SUPPORT STAFF MEMBERS OF THE YEAR: (RECIPIENT: Candace McCoy, Marcus Scales, Steven Schoenfelder)
COACHES OF THE YEAR:  (RECIPIENTS: Laura Tyler-Cook, Scott Heather)
BISON CLUB AWARD:  Presented to 2025-26 "Athlete of the Year". (RECIPIENTS: Evelyn Bliss, Wade Shomper)
ALVIN F. JACKSON JR. MEMORIAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD:  Presented to a member of the senior class for outstanding academic and athletic achievement, and future promise as Bucknell alumni. (RECIPIENTS: Brylee Tereska, John Ohnegian)
CHRISTY MATHEWSON AWARD:  Presented to the outstanding senior athletes. (RECIPIENTS: Kira Leclercq, Amar Tahirovic)

Performance of the Year:  As voted upon by the Bucknell student-athletes. (RECIPIENT: Evie Bliss unleashes the No. 1 javelin throw in the world at the Bison Outdoor Classic)
Team of the Year:  As voted upon by the Bucknell student-athletes. (RECIPIENT: Baseball)
Moment of the Year:  As voted upon by the Bucknell student-athletes. (RECIPIENT: Hans Huber's goal with 0.1 left in overtime to beat Lafayette)

CHRISTY MATHEWSON AWARD

KIRA LECLERCQ, Field Hockey

AMAR TAHIROVIC, Tennis

ALVIN F. JACKSON JR. MEMORIAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD

BRYLEE TERESKA, Track & Field

JOHN OHNEGIAN, Football

BISON CLUB AWARD

EVELYN BLISS, Track & Field

WADE SHOMPER, Track & Field

JOHN F. ZELLER AWARD

MEGHAN WHITE, Soccer

FREDDIE LAPWORTH, Soccer

BRADLEY N. TUFTS AWARD

MEGAN KRESTINSKI, Lacrosse

ADAM STAVRAKAS, Tennis

EDWARD W. PANGBURN AWARD

KYLA KELLY, Swimming & Diving

DYLAN CHAPPELL, Swimming & Diving

ROBERT A. LATOUR SERVICE AWARD

MIRRA MANOLOV, Tennis

TERIAN WILLIAMS II, Football

LEE S. "BUD" RANCK MEMORIAL AWARD

BELLA GUZMAN, Rowing

JACKSON SULLIVAN, Soccer

'RAY BUCKNELL AWARD

CATHERINE DINEEN, Lacrosse

HALEY SPEICHER, Softball

RONALD J. "PETE" PEDRICK AWARD

KELLY BYRNE, Swimming & Diving

OWEN KOVACS, Lacrosse

BRYAN-HUMPHREYS AWARD

CALEIGH CUMMISKEY, Lacrosse

BRADY HOAR, Baseball

Bucknell University Athletics

Bison Student-Athlete Award Winners Announced at The Buckys Gala

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