GORHAM, Maine    –   Two hundred seventy-nine University of Southern Maine student-athletes will be recognized for their outstanding athletic and academic achievements during the William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete Awards Ceremony and Banquet on Sunday, February 22, 2026 (5:00 pm). Huskies' Athletics will host its 37th annual William B. Wise awards reception at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland, Maine. 

As customary, the William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete ceremony will feature student-athlete speakers and award recipients. Addressing their peers, family and University staff and faculty at the event will be senior student-athletes Bridgette Toland of the women's soccer team, and Herb Bryant of the men's lacrosse team.  Director of Athletics and Recreation John Sutyak, Associate Athletic Director Kim Turner, and University of Southern Maine President Jacqueline Edmondson will make remarks during the event honoring and congratulating the high-achieving student-athletes, and their family and friends gathering for the occasion.

A four-year member of the Huskies' women's soccer team, Toland has helped Southern Maine capture four consecutive Little East Conference Championships and earn four consecutive berths to the NCAA Tournament during her career.  Serving as one of the team's captains in 2025, Toland finished her career with 71 games played, five goals and five assists for 15 points, including a penalty kick to lock up the team's 2024 regular season championship for the third year in a row.  Toland, along with her Class of 2026 teammates, helped Huskies' women's soccer establish a number of program records including its first conference and regular season championship, record wins in a season and record goals in a season.  A two-time William B. Wise Scholar Athlete, Toland is also a member of the Huskies' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is an intern with Athletic Communications, and also with a the University's Marketing Department.  She is a Media Studies major.

A leader on and off the field for the Huskies' men's lacrosse program, Byrant has played a critical role in the Southern Maine defense as a four-year member of the program.  Earning the nod as one of the Huskies' co-captains for the 2026 season, Bryant, now a two-year captain, has been a regular starter for Southern Maine since rookie season at Hannaford Field in 2023.  Playing in 42 career games with 39 starts, Bryant has been one of the top defensive players for the Huskies with 64 ground balls and 53 caused turnovers to his credit.  In 2024, Bryant was selected to participate in the U21 US Indoor Lacrosse Junior International Championship. A 2025 nominee for the Albert D. Bean Leadership Award, Bryant is a three-time William B. Wise Scholar Athlete, and a five time Little East Conference Academic Honor Roll selection.

Created during the 1987-1988 academic year, the William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete Award is named in honor of William B. Wise, a retired USM administrator and friend of athletics. A graduate of the University of Maine, Wise began his career at the University of Southern Maine in 1966 as assistant dean of academic affairs, and director of the evening college. In the ensuing years, he served the University tirelessly in a variety of roles, including acting dean of the College of Education, assistant to the vice president for academic affairs, executive assistant to the president, and executive assistant to the vice president for student affairs. During the 2023 University of Southern Maine Homecoming and Family Weekend, the Athletic Department's Learning Center was renamed in Wise's honor to recognize his invaluable contributions to the success and academic achievement of Husky student-athletes. Wise, his family, and many former student-athletes, coaches and colleagues were on hand to congratulate Wise on his lasting impact during the ceremony.
 
During the 2024-2025 academic year, 279 Huskies met or exceeded the criteria to receive Wise Scholar-Athlete recognition, and the Huskies' Athletic Department's nearly 450 student-athletes, representing 44 distinct academic majors, combined for a grade point average of 3.23.  To earn William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete accolades, a Southern Maine student-athlete must have a minimum of a 3.00 cumulative grade point average for the fall and spring semesters, be a full-time student both semesters, and be a member of varsity team for a full season. Each of the Huskies' 23 intercollegiate programs sponsored during last academic year has representation among the 279 student-athletes to be honored.

"Each of these student-athletes has demonstrated a tremendous level of discipline, drive and commitment to their academic studies and their athletic pursuits." noted Turner.  "All of the 279 student-athletes to be recognized on Sunday have balanced their responsibilities and commitment to their teams, teammates, coaches, part-time jobs, internships, family and friends and more. Our Husky student-athletes represent some of the best members of the University community, and I could not be more proud of their achievements and success."

Ten University of Southern Maine Huskies will earn the William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete honor for a rare fifth time, including All-Americans Haley McKim (women's ice hockey) and Bre Atwood (women's soccer) and NCAA Division III National Champion Ben Drummey (men's indoor and outdoor track & field).   Atwood, McKim and Drummey all graduated last spring with Drummey earning a Nursing degree, Atwood a degree in Exercise Science and McKim in Health Sciences. 

An outstanding 24 student-athletes will win their fourth Wise award.  Among the four-time winners are NCAA All-American Colby Frost (wrestling) and four-time All-Little East Conference selection Sage Drinkwater (field hockey).
 
The Husky student-athletes who have earned the academic honor for the fourth time represent a broad range of academic pursuits (19 in total), including Sport Management, Accounting, Linguistics, Health Sciences, Criminology, Management, Business Analytics, Exercise Science, Environmental Science, Mechanical Engineering, Leadership Studies, Political Science, Biochemistry, History, Elementary Education, Art, Marketing, and Psychology.

In addition to guest speakers, dinner and individual student-athletes award recognition, two teams will receive the Remo Riciputi Award. The Remo Riciputi, given annually to the team sport, and the individual team sport with the highest collective grade-point average, will be announced as part of the awards banquet.  Last year's winners were the Huskies' women's soccer and tennis teams.

2024-2025 William B. Wise Scholar-Athletes

First-Time Award Recipients
Mike Anquillare, Baseball	History
Jack Bruno, Baseball	Management
Trent Drouin, Baseball	Finance
Sam Economy, Baseball	Leadership Studies
Dylan Firmin, Baseball	Sport Management
Gus Hollen, Baseball	Marketing
Peter Keblinsky, Baseball	Business Analytics
TJ Llerena, Baseball	Finance
Chris Quigley, Baseball	Management
Julia Elie, Field Hockey	Linguistics
Eleanor Folsom, Field Hockey	Sport Management
Katherine Hanlon, Field Hockey	Environmental Studies
Danica Hebert, Field Hockey	Finance
Annie Jackson, Field Hockey	Health Sciences
Kaya Joseph, Field Hockey	Nursing
Lilianna Lam, Field Hockey	Psychology
Leah Thibodeau, Field Hockey	Health Sciences
Calezia Dow, Field Hockey, Lacrosse	Biology
Gabe Galarraga, Men's Basketball	Health Sciences
Bryce Lausier, Men's Basketball	Leadership Studies
Max McClure, Men's Basketball	Media Studies
Evans Sterling, Men's Basketball	Finance
Kaleb Reed, Men's Basketball (Manager)	Accounting
Owen Doyle, Men's Golf	Management
Taylor Farr, Men's Golf	Exercise Science
Alex Fournier, Men's Golf	Sport Management
Alex Grant, Men's Golf	Information Technology
Rhys Jones, Men's Golf	Sport Management
Owen Moore, Men's Golf	Mechanical Engineering
Carter O'Connell, Men's Golf	Electrical Engineering
Jaden Poirier, Men's Golf	Management
Owen Arend, Men's Ice Hockey	Finance
David Bazile, Men's Ice Hockey	Marketing
Conor Donovan, Men's Ice Hockey	Marketing
Isaac Grondin, Men's Ice Hockey	Exercise Science
John Hagan, Men's Ice Hockey	Management
Jackson Legro, Men's Ice Hockey	Leadership and Organizational Studies
Gage LeTourneau, Men's Ice Hockey	Biology
Gavin Simopoulos, Men's Ice Hockey	Sport Management
Benjamin Thornley-Hall, Men's Ice Hockey	Finance
Finn Ernsjoo, Men's Ice Hockey, Tennis	Management
Ryan Pappalardo, Men's Ice Hockey, Tennis	Management
Nolan Brennan, Men's Lacrosse	Criminology
Rhys Bridges, Men's Lacrosse	History
Wylie Fiutak, Men's Lacrosse	Management
Luke Gagner, Men's Lacrosse	Management
Owen Grant, Men's Lacrosse	Nursing
Nicholas Shevchenko, Men's Lacrosse	Marketing
Ethan Tibbetts, Men's Lacrosse, Soccer	Finance
Ryan Cummings, Men's Lacrosse, Track & Field	Marketing
Aldo Bryant, Men's Soccer	Marketing
Ryan LaSusa, Men's Soccer	Marketing
Connor LeClerc, Men's Soccer	Finance
Hamza Nabi, Men's Soccer	Electrical Engineering
Jonah Naratil, Men's Soccer	Exercise Science
Trevor Amos, Men's Track & Field	Nursing
Logan Berube, Men's Track & Field	Exercise Science
Timothy Bowler, Men's Track & Field	Music Education
Jonathan Dalessandro, Men's Track & Field	Sport Management
Preston Gerry, Men's Track & Field/Cross Country	Math
Brendan Mather, Men's Track & Field	Management
Matthew Reynolds, Men's Track & Field	Marketing
Joseph Richards, Men's Track & Field	Electrical Engineering
Konnor Simpson, Men's Track & Field	Health Sciences
Ella Bezanson, Softball	Nursing
Madison Brown, Softball	Health Sciences
Gabriela Bruno, Softball	Management
Gwen Christie, Softball	Marketing
Mia Coots, Softball	Public Health
Aislin Davis, Softball	Computer Science
Ava Gerrish, Softball	Special Education
Emma Ingalls, Softball	Psychology
Lexus McIntosh, Softball	Psychology
Madyson Paradis, Softball	Nursing
Taylor Takatsu, Softball	Computer Science
Macie Ahmer, Volleyball	Elementary Education
Ella Koehler, Volleyball	Elementary Education
Casey Murillo, Volleyball	Health Sciences
Chloe Whittaker, Volleyball	Health Sciences
Morgan Cunningham, Women's Basketball	Nursing
Ali Portas, Women's Basketball	Sport Managment
Dakota Shipley, Women's Basketball	Nursing
Emma Stred, Women's Basketball	Exercise Science
Lucy Wiles, Women's Basketball	Nursing
Maddy York, Women's Basketball	Health Sciences
Morgan Zetts, Women's Basketball	Nursing
Meaghan May, Women's Golf	Nursing
Ryley Meyer, Women's Golf	Business Analytics
Anabelle Steeves, Women's Golf	Health Sciences
Josie Arrants, Women's Ice Hockey	Biology
Audrey Donahue, Women's Ice Hockey	Health Sciences
Jillian Jackson, Women's Ice Hockey	Psychology
Saige MacLeod, Women's Ice Hockey	Environmental Planning and Policy
Shannon Murphy, Women's Ice Hockey	Media Studies
Joely Power, Women's Ice Hockey	Exercise Science
Morgan Rochefort, Women's Ice Hockey	Communications
Makenzie Woodford, Women's Ice Hockey	Health Sciences
Ella Burnell, Women's Lacrosse	Nursing
Katelyn D'Appolonia, Women's Lacrosse	Communications
Abby Emerson, Women's Lacrosse	Exercise Science
Elizabeth Hallee, Women's Lacrosse	Nursing
Alivia Johnston, Women's Lacrosse	Social Work
Lydia Laslavic, Women's Lacrosse	Art Education
Ella Scaggs, Women's Lacrosse	Undeclared
Alexis Fortuna-Ramos, Women's Soccer	Mechanical Engineering
Adriana Lamesta, Women's Soccer	Criminology
Makyla Magid, Women's Soccer	Health Sciences
Lucy McLaughlin, Women's Soccer	Psychology
Ani Roberts, Women's Soccer	Marketing
Madi Sainis, Women's Soccer	Biology
Devan Sherry, Women's Soccer	Nursing
Elizabeth Talbot, Women's Soccer	Exercise Science
Natalie Flageolle, Women's Soccer, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field	Management
Meghan Przybilla, Women's Soccer, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field	Mechanical Engineering
Katherine Dallaire, Women's Tennis	Nursing
Makayla Morello, Women's Tennis	Elementary Education
Olivia Tabor, Women's Tennis	Enviromental Science
Madison Viveiros, Women's Tennis	Health Sciences
Karessa Anderson, Women's Track & Field	Criminology
Saya Breiiting-Brown, Women's Track & Field	Public Health
Gwen Catalano, Women's Track & Field/Cross Country	Health Science
Autumn Gerry, Women's Track & Field	Elementary Education
Khalysa Hammith, Women's Track & Field	Nursing
Allie Kimball, Women's Track & Field	Biology
Kate LeBlanc, Women's Track & Field	Nursing
Blair Martin, Women's Track & Field	Biology
Meara McVearry, Women's Track & Field	Art
Isabel Moustakas, Women's Track & Field	Political Science
Adria Otash, Women's Track & Field	Nursing
Elize Schultz, Women's Track & Field/Cross Country	Economics
Julia Szewc, Women's Track & Field/Cross Country	Health Sciences
Janiah Young, Women's Track & Field	Public Health
Cesar Calderin, Wrestling	Biology
Jason Canavan-Dwyer, Wrestling	Finance
Derek Cote, Wrestling	Health Sciences
Colton DeLeo, Wrestling	Management
Nick Kotiw, Wrestling	Undeclared
Jon Lettre, Wrestling	Undeclared
Shane Moore, Wrestling	Sport Management
Silas Runez, Wrestling	Sociology
Second-Time Award Recipients
Kyle Douin, Baseball	Mechanical Engineering
Ian Libby, Baseball	Exercise Science
Anthony Poole, Baseball	Marketing
Santiago Sanchez, Baseball	Athletic Training
Dylan Barr, Field Hockey	Exercise Science
Jenessa Foster, Field Hockey	Management
Nora Reilly, Field Hockey	Nursing
Norie Tibbetts, Field Hockey	Nursing
Justin Allen, Men's Basketball	Management
Brady Saunders, Men's Basketball	Management
Madden White, Men's Basketball	Sport Management
Curan Bassingthwaite, Men's Golf	Management
Cole Brennan, Men's Ice Hockey	Finance
Jake Burgess, Men's Ice Hockey	Management
Adrian Jubran, Men's Ice Hockey	Sport Management
Ethan MacDuff, Men's Ice Hockey	Electrical Engineering
Matt Sullivan, Men's Ice Hockey	Management
Kayde Kinaschuk, Men's Ice Hockey, Tennis	Finance
Marcus Torgner, Men's Ice Hockey, Tennis	Management
Precieux Dilamini, Men's Soccer	Cyber Security
Benjahmin LaWind, Men's Soccer	Exercise Science
Paul-Alexandre Liwanga, Men's Soccer	Sport Management
Zac Howe, Men's Tennis	Management/Sport Management
Camden Bessey, Men's Track & Field/Cross Country	Exercise Science
Maddox Cahill, Men's Track & Field	Art
William Carrolton, Men's Track & Field	Planning, Policy and Management
Darien Davis, Men's Track & Field/Cross Country	Mechanical Engineering
Kaleb Frey, Men's Track & Field	Management
Kyle Hartford, Men's Track & Field/Cross Country	Exercise Science
Dru Hyndman, Men's Track & Field	Biology
Finley Folkett, Softball	Environmental Science
Camdyn Johnson, Softball	Geography-Anthropology
Amelia Beatty, Volleyball	Nursing
Liz Cote, Women's Basketball	Leadership & Organizational Studies
Campbell Doughty, Women's Basketball	Sports Management
Jade Smedberg, Women's Basketball	Marketing
Madison Chagnon, Women's Ice Hockey	Criminology
Ellie Eigner, Women's Ice Hockey	Marketing
Olivia Stewart, Women's Ice Hockey	Environmental Science
Molly Black, Women's Lacrosse	Health Science
Eliza Pattershall, Women's Lacrosse	Psychology
Erin Castonguay, Women's Soccer	Elementary Education
Madi Jordan, Women's Soccer	Health Sciences
Julia McKenna, Women's Soccer	Communications
Kayla O'Connor, Women's Soccer	Media Studies
Ashley Sabatino, Women's Soccer	Health Sciences
Bridgette Toland, Women's Soccer	Media Studies
Julia Kratzer, Women's Soccer, Women's Basketball	Cyber Security
Cierra Hill, Women's Soccer, Women's Lacrosse	Finance
Eliza Bureau, Women's Track & Field/Cross Country	Occupational Therapy
Lucy Depolito, Women's Track & Field/Cross Country	Social Work
Hagen Chase, Wrestling	Finance
Scott Ingalls, Wrestling	Exercise Science
Liam Knight, Wrestling	Cyber Security
Alberto Mendoza, Wrestling	Nursing
Bruce  Rasmusson, Wrestling	History
Colin Sevigney, Wrestling	Elementary Education
Third-Time Award Recipients
Hunter Brissette, Baseball	Accounting
Nathaniel Burnett, Baseball	History
Abigail Chartier, Field Hockey	Marketing
Izzy Hurlburt, Field Hockey	Elementary Education
Olivia Staggs, Field Hockey	Health Sciences
Thomas Whelan, Men's Basketball	Exercise Science
Sam Farr, Men's Golf	Marketing
Kadin Ilott, Men's Ice Hockey, Tennis	Computer Science
Jacob Kindestin, Men's Ice Hockey, Tennis	Marketing
Herb Bryant, Men's Lacrosse	Exercise Science
Addison Dietz, Men's Lacrosse	Environmental Science and Policy
Duncan Hayes, Men's Lacrosse	Marketing
Colin Albert, Men's Soccer	Finance
Vincent Anderson, Men's Soccer	Sport Management
Brian Balch, Men's Soccer	Electrical Engineering
Asa Farley, Men's Soccer	Health Sciences
Kurtis Voter, Men's Soccer	Mechanical Engineering
Michael Cyr, Men's Track & Field/Cross Country	Health Sciences
Michael D'Amico, Men's Track & Field	Cyber Security
Chris Hatch, Men's Track & Field	Accounting
Jacob Jackson, Men's Track & Field	Communications
Anthony O'Donnell, Men's Track & Field/Cross Country	Psychology
Colin Tippett, Men's Track & Field	Economics
Alana DeLisle, Softball	Nursing
Olivia Levasseur, Softball	Sport Management
Kendall Migliorini, Softball	Management
Mackenzie Renner, Softball	Music Performance
Kristina Yebba, Softball	Exercise Science
Meaghan  Dufresne, Softball, Women's Golf	Elementary Education
Mackenzie Kingsbury, Softball, Women's Golf	Elementary Education
Sydnee Chaisson, Women's Ice Hockey	Social & Behavioral Science
Isabella Colarusso-Sprang, Women's Ice Hockey	Social & Behavioral Science
Jessica MacLean, Women's Ice Hockey	Health Sciences
Caroline Thompson, Women's Ice Hockey	Sociology
Raegan Bechard, Women's Lacrosse	Health Sciences
Elaina Hanselmann, Women's Lacrosse	Marketing
Devon Gatz, Women's Soccer	Women and Gender Studies
Hunter Stonebraker, Women's Soccer	Criminology & Psychology
Riley Reitchel, Women's Soccer, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field	Linguistics
Britney Hill, Women's Soccer, Lacrosse	English
Muriel Lattin, Women's Tennis	Biology
Elizabeth Asman, Women's Track & Field	Exercise Science
AnnMarie Limberger, Women's Track & Field/Cross Country	Elementary Education
Anabel Melanson, Women's Track & Field/Cross Country	Nursing
Alexis Karantza, Women's Track & Field/Cross Country	Nursing
Jalen Charles, Wrestling	History
Vincent Keeler, Wrestling	Marketing
Kaleb Pool, Wrestling	Mechanical Engineering
Four-Time Award Recipients
Joe Bova, Baseball	Sport Management
Gavin Rawstrom, Baseball	Accounting
Sage Drinkwater, Field Hockey	Linguistics
Emma Samson, Field Hockey	Health Sciences
Kyle Penton, Men's Ice Hockey	Criminology
Jeff Pollara, Men's Ice Hockey	Management
Zachary Desmarais, Men's Ice Hockey, Tennis	Sport Management
Azam Jiwa, Men's Ice Hockey, Tennis	Business Analytics
Riley Bedard, Men's Track & Field	Exercise Science
Jordan Duplessie, Men's Track & Field/Cross Country	Environmental Science
Scott Kaufman, Men's Track & Field/Cross Country	Mechanical Engineering
Ethan Shain, Men's Track & Field	Leadership Studies
Madi Zimmer, Volleyball	Political Science
Ellie Fredenburg, Women's Ice Hockey	Biochemistry
Madelyn McLeish, Women's Ice Hockey	History
Amelie St-Amant, Women's Ice Hockey	Exercise Science/Health Sciences
Anna Byers, Women's Lacrosse	Elementary Education
Kiki Huntress, Women's Soccer	Art
Aly Veilleux, Women's Soccer	Marketing
Kiaya Gatchell, Women's Soccer, Lacrosse	Health Sciences
Mackenzie Betty, Women's Track & Field	Psychology
Heaven Conley, Women's Track & Field	Elementary Education
Abi Norris, Women's Track & Field	Exercise Science
Colby Frost, Wrestling	Health Sciences
Five-Time Award Recipients
Jordan Cummings, Field Hockey	Occupational Therapy
Cole Ouellette, Men's Ice Hockey, Tennis	Marketing
Ben Drummey, Men's Track & Field	Nursing
Jack Pecoraro, Men's Track & Field/Cross Country	Management/History
Sierra Castonguay, Volleyball	Athletic Training
Francesca Ramsdell, Women's Basketball	Educational Psychology
Haley McKim, Women's Ice Hockey	Health Sciences
Breanna Atwood, Women's Soccer	Exercise Science
Catriona Gould, Women's Soccer	Occupational Therapy
Olivia Jalbert, Women's Track & Field	Leadership Studies