Maroon & Gold Gala Winners Announced

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Monday, April 27

Maroon & Gold Gala Finalists Announced

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Chatting Chippewas - Elmo Walton

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4/28/2026 8:13:00 AM | General, Our Stories, Student-Athlete Leadership & Development

Photo Gallery Watch Entire Maroon & Gold Gala

Football’s Michael Heldman and gymnastics’ Luciana Alvarado-Reid earn the respective Enterprise Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards; Central Michigan Athletics celebrates the 2025-26 academic year with annual gala.

By: Greg Hotchkiss

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Michael Heldman of the football team and Luciana Alvarado-Reid of the gymnastics team received the Central Michigan Male and Female Athlete of the Year Awards, respectively, on Monday evening during the annual 2025-26 Maroon & Gold Gala at McGuirk Arena.

Alvarado-Reid earned the honor for the second consecutive season.

Each year, the event serves as the end-of-the-year celebration of Central Michigan University athletics and its 400-plus student-athletes.

The complete list of award winners:

Male Newcomer of the Year: Nathan Claerbaut, men's basketball
Female Newcomer of the Year: Kyah Hoffman, women's cross country

Spark Player of the Year: Taylor Anderson, women's basketball

Moment of the Year: gymnastics winning both the regular season and MAC championship titles

Community Impact Award: softball.

Outstanding Team GPA Award: Men's cross country, women's cross country

Male Teammate of the Year: Simon Lato, wrestling
Female Teammate of the Year: Kylee Weed, soccer

Coach of the Year: Christine MacDonald, gymnastics

Spring Impact Player of the Year: Cierra Laska, softball

Student Athlete Cup: men's golf

Dick Enberg Team Leadership Award: softball

Chippewa Impact Award: Dennis Lautzenheiser and Vicki Loss Lautzenheiser

Dave and Sue Keilitz Male Chippewa Legacy Award: Jordan Kwiatkowski, football.
Dave and Sue Keilitz Female Chippewa Legacy Award: Alina Anderson, volleyball

Male Best Dressed Award: Nate Ross, baseball
Female Best Dressed Award: Jenna Billig, field hockey

Pat Podoll Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: Angel Flores, football; Joseph Milto, baseball; Gabriella Sapia, soccer; Mallory Camryn, field hockey

Enterprise Male Athlete of the Year: Michael Heldman, football
Enterprise Female Athlete of the Year: Luciana Alvarado-Reid, gymnastics

Athletic Director's Leadership Award: Dakota Cochran, football; Luciana Alvarado-Reid, gymnastics

Academic Achievement Award: Greg Guzik II, baseball; Angela Petrovich, softball

Team of the Year: gymnastics

Top Scholar-Athlete (by team)
Joey Milto, baseball
Jorden Brooks, men's basketball
Angel Flores, football
Orlando Coons, men's golf
Colin Wsseldyk, men's cross country
Gabrielle Johnson, gymnastics
Gabriella Sapia, women's soccer
Natalie Lathrop, women's basketball
Kiera Tolmie, softball
Victoria Chesson, lacrosse
Mallory Camryn, field hockey
Emma Janesak, women's track & field and cross country
Ella Zanatta, women's golf

Dick Enberg Scholar-Athlete Award nominees (awarded in fall)
Bryson Webb, baseball
Nick Cockerel, men's cross country
Emma Janesak, women's cross country
Annabelle Cotroneo, field hockey
Thomas McIntosh, football
Evanka Shan, women's golf
Gabrielle Johnson, gymnastics
Ava Regitz, lacrosse
Rachel Jackson, soccer
Grace Koenig, softball
Gracie Merrick, women's track & field

Bill Boyden Leadership Award nominees (awarded in fall)
Nathan Ball, baseball
Jaxson Whitaker, men's basketball
Taylor Johnson, women's basketball
Colin Wesseldyk, men's cross country
Maya Guikema, women's cross country
Jenna Billig, field hockey
Ed Conoran, football
Rachel Niskanen, women's golf
Samantha Shannon, gymnastics
Anna Farrar, lacrosse
Caitlin Gill, soccer
Brooklyn Compau, softball
Sophia Garland, women's track & field
Luke Cochran, wrestling

2026 Spring & Summer Graduation Awards (by sport)
Baseball: Hayden Bailey, Carter Campau, Liam Stumpf, Joseph Milto, John Pottiger, Tyson Potts, Cole Prout, Spencer Verberg, Evan Water
Men's Basketball: Tamario Adley, Jorden Brooks, Nathan Claerbaut, Nick Mullen
Women's Basketball: Zareia Chevre, Natalie Lathrop, Nekhu Mitchell, Demetria Prewitt
Men's Cross Country: Tang Hong Bing, Clayton Kulper, Ethan Leitner, Joseph Taverna II
Women's Cross Country/Women's Track & Field: Jessica Gibbins, Kate Jenkins, Grace Jenkins, Nicole Olivieri,
Field Hockey: Shannon Dwyer, Amelia Lane, Mallory Camryn, Rosa Maria Ruiz Hellin
Football: Maddix Blackwell, Lawai'a Brown, Oumar Conde, John Iannuzzi, Jacob Kaminski, Martin Koivisto, Kade Kostus, Kyle Krebs, Jordan Kwiatkowski, Bryce Lambeth, Braeden Tillman, Nathan VanTimmeren
Men's Golf: Jeffrey Andrus, Orlando Coons, Keith Hunter, Nicholas Kilgore
Women's Golf: Madison Liles, Alexis McMurray,
Gymnastics: Luciana Alvarado-Reid, Lia Kmieciak
Lacrosse: Kelsey Barratt, Victoria Chesson, Natalie DiSanto, Margaret English, Emily Gargan, Leila Kahler,
Soccer: Teagan Betzold, Brylee Borgman, Camryn Dunn, Taylor Primack, Gabriella Sapia
Softball: Mackenzie Langan, Angel Petrovitch, Paige Sayler, Avery Sickeri
Volleyball: Alina Anderson, Brooklyn Conner, Madison Gebhardt, Gabrielle Olin, Ella Peter, Natalia Rejment,
Wrestling: Cody Brenner, Bryan Caves, Nichoals Marienfeld, James Nugent, Mason Shrader, Tyler Swiderski

—CMU—