GORHAM, Maine  –  After collecting numerous prestigious individual accolades during the 2025-2026 University of Southern Maine Athletics' season, Husky standouts Kyle Douin (Augusta, Maine/Cony) and Zoe Barnes (Gray, Maine/Gray-New Gloucester) will each add one more to their respective resumes.  Both Douin and Barnes have been chosen as Southern Maine's inaugural recipients of the "Top Dawg" Award, recognizing the top performing male and female student-athlete of the year on the basis of extraordinary athletic ability, sportsmanship and contribution to his or her team, the University and the world of sport.
 
"We are excited to add an 'Athlete of the Year' honor to the USM Athletics awards portfolio," stated Director of Athletics & Recreation, John Sutyak. "As we celebrate our student-athletes' achievements across academics, service, and leadership, we also want to recognize the pinnacle of athletic excellence each year. The Top Dawg Award does exactly that. We had an exceptional pool of elite competitors this season, and I want to congratulate Zoe and Kyle on becoming our inaugural Top Dawg Award winners."  
 
Winning the 2026 NCAA Division III National Championship in the shot put, Barnes became the third woman in program history to win a National Championship, leading from the very start of competition launching her first throw for 14.10m. Dominating the day, Barnes, improved her mark on her third throw (14.49m) before emphatically claiming the title with a record-breaking throw of 14.84. Earning first team All-America honors, Barnes was named the Northeast Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). 
 
Barnes had a dominant final season of competition in route to her third national championship appearance, and 2026 national crown. Rewriting the Huskies' record book in the event, Barnes placed first in the shot put in each of the five meets that she has competed in during the regular season. Barnes won both the shot put and weight throw at the Maine State Meet to earn the event's Lynn Ruddy Women's Field Most Valuable Performer award. She also won conference titles in both events to secure her second consecutive LEC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year honor. 
 
Barnes finished her career as a two-time All-American (outdoor 2025, indoor 2026), and was named the Little East Conference Field Athlete of the Year five times (3 outdoor, 2 indoor). Earning her degree in Nursing, Barnes earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.
 
Earning both American Baseball Coaches' Association (ABCA) and D3baseball.com All-American honors, Douin capped a standout career in 2026 hitting a career-best .443 going 81-for-183 at the plate with 70 runs scored and a team-leading 72 RBI, collecting 16 doubles, four triples and 13 home runs. Douin also had a .549 on-base percentage and a .787 slugging percentage for a team-best OPS of 1.336. Helping Southern Maine to the 2026 Little East Conference Championship, Douin finished the tourney 7-for-16 at the plate (.438 average) with seven runs scored and nine RBI, including five RBI in the Huskies' 14-6 come-from-behind win over UMass Dartmouth to advance to the championship game.
 
Finishing his career as the program's all-time leader in home runs (38) and RBI (210), Douin completed his time as a Husky (2023-2026) hitting .374 with 246 hits, including 52 doubles, 13 triples and 38 home runs with a .666 slugging percentage. Defensively, Douin had 823 putouts and 136 assists in his career for a .976 fielding percentage. He was named the 2026 Little East Conference, ABCA Region II and D3Baseball.com Region II Player of the Year.
 
A three-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-American, Douin earned first team honors in 2026, and was named the LEC Male Athlete of the Year. Previously earning his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, Douin is completing his Master's degree in Leadership Studies.
 
Both Barnes and Douin will be honored as part of the 2027 Husky Hall of Fame Banquet and Award Ceremony. The 40^th Annual Husky Hall of Fame will be held during the University of Southern Maine's Homecoming and Family Weekend on Sunday, September 27 (5:00 pm). 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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