Twenty Four Student-Athletes Earn 2025-26 Tufts Academic Awards

MEDFORD, MA (August 3, 2026) - Tufts University applauds the accomplishments of the hundreds of students, both graduate and undergraduate, who win awards and prizes sponsored by generous donors and various departments. Most prize winners were recognized at the annual Honors Convocation (also known as Academic Awards Night) held back on April 30 at Cohen Auditorium.

Tufts University Athletics salutes the 24 student-athletes who earned Tufts Academic Awards for the 2025-26 year:

Bennett Memorial Scholarship - an athletic honor awarded to a student who best exemplifies the qualities of true sportsmanship. 
Eliana Montgomery, Women's Track & Field
Nate Sousa, Football

Mary Grant Charles Prize - awarded to outstanding undergraduate students at Tufts who demonstrate creative qualities in writing prose and poetry, and who, if possible, show an interest in ancestry and genealogy.
Sam Nissen, Men's Track & Field

R.M. Karapetoff Cobb Chemistry Fund Award - an undergraduate award at Tufts that recognizes outstanding academic achievement in chemistry. 
Mikayla Joseph, Women's Fencing

Amos Emerson Dolbear Prize - awarded annually to seniors who have demonstrated promise in the fields of electrical engineering or physics.
Aoife O'Reilly, Women's Soccer

Alex Elias Memorial Award - given to juniors or seniors at Tufts University who best exemplify the high standards in community activities, athletic achievement, and scholastic excellence.
Holden Kittelberger, Golf
Fritz Oldenburg, Men's Rowing
Aiofe O'Reilly, Women's Soccer
Vaughn Seelicke, Football
Paige Zhang, Women's Track & Field

Frederick M. and Dorie Ellis Prize -  recognizes outstanding student achievement in both academics and athletics.
Elias Brandt, Men's Swimming & Diving
Caroline Kelly, Women's Soccer
Katharine Skelly, Women's Swimming & Diving
Gabby Sousa, Field Hockey 

Constantine Ghikas Prize in Romance Languages - given to students at Tufts University who demonstrate excellence in a program of major study in one of the Romance languages.
Paige Zhang, Women's Track & Field

Audrey Butvay Gruss Science Award - awarded to the outstanding female science major who is a scholarship recipient.
Steffy Jullian, Women's Tennis

Morris and Sid Heyman Prize -  given to students in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). It is designed to recognize academic achievement and future promise in the field of engineering and computer science.
Karen Bei, Women's Fencing

Human Factors Engineering Prize - an annual prize that recognizes graduating students in Human Factors Engineering or Human Factors Psychology who have made outstanding contributions in Human Factors research or design.
Hannah Jiang, Women's Rowing 

James Hume Field Geology Prize - presented annually to one or more outstanding geology students to further their field geology experience. 
Cam McLeod, Men's Track & Field

Lewis F. Manly Memorial Prize - an undergraduate award given annually by the Department of Economics at Tufts University to recognize a student who combines academic excellence with superior athletic performance.
Reese Birch, Women's Soccer
Quinci Wheeler, Women's Swimming & Diving

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Education Award - recognizing a student for outstanding teaching, and professional involvement within and beyond the Tufts Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Emma Gall, Women's Track & Field

Adrian Misic Prize - awarded annually by the Tufts Department of Athletics to recognize a male and a female student-athlete who demonstrate excellence both athletically and academically, and who are also active in work that helps improve the human condition.
Scott Gyimesi, Men's Basketball
Avery Newcomer, Women's Swimming & Diving

Ellen C. Myers Award - an undergraduate academic honor at Tufts, presented to recognize high scholarship in the face of adversity. It is typically awarded to junior or senior students who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement despite personal challenges.
Kate Deehan, Women's Lacrosse

Marion Ricker Houston Prize in Economics - awarded annually to junior or senior economics majors at Tufts University who have demonstrated outstanding academic progress in their field and who, in the judgment of the Department of Economics faculty, have made substantial contributions to the Tufts community.
Scott Gyimesi, Men's Basketball

Lloyd MacGregor Trefethen Award - presented annually to a mechanical engineering senior who has conducted outstanding undergraduate research.
William Cusato, Men's Track & Field