BOSTON, Mass. (May 7, 2026) – Emerson College held its 2025-26 Student-Athlete Recognition Dinner in a celebration of its student-athletes, coaches and administrators for their work during the academic year recently inside the Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gymnasium. The athletic department issued graduation stoles for its Class of 2026, while also presenting its annual student-athlete and team awards.
O'Meara (center) presented with Dan Hollis Teammate Award by fellow SAAC Executive Board members Lena Hicks and Finn Leeves-Coben. (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce Sports Photography) |
2025-26 Daniel Hollis Teammate Award
This award was established to commemorate and honor Daniel Hollis, a member of the class of 2022 and a goalie on the men's lacrosse team. Dan's life will forever be remembered for his infectious smile, big heart and unwavering dedication to his team and friends. This award will serve to ensure that his values and name continue to inspire Emerson athletes for years to come.
Every year, the student-athletes on each team at Emerson nominate the teammate that they believe best demonstrates Dan's traits of positive spirit, enthusiasm, and unselfish devotion to their teammates. A person that is important to creating and maintaining team morale, and helps their teammates strive for more, to work hard, and be better on and off the field. From this group of 14 finalists, the awards committee will select one student-athlete to receive the Daniel Hollis Teammate Award.
This year's recipient of the Dan Hollis Teammate Award is women's soccer junior Kaylin O'Meara, who is also a member of the women's basketball program. She serves on the executive board of Emerson's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Daniel Hollis Teammate Award Nominees:
Baseball: Justin Fields
Men's Basketball: Jeff Tan
Women's Basketball: Lena Hicks
Men's Cross Country: John Lanza
Women's Cross Country: Olivia Kardos
Men's Lacrosse: Owen Lotti
Women's Lacrosse: Ellie Spotts
Men's Soccer: Kyler Maira
Women's Soccer: Kaylin O'Meara
Softball: Kate Regan
Men's Tennis: Filippo Nocchi
Women's Tennis: Kendi Bispham
Men's Volleyball: Semaj' Byrd
Women's Volleyball: Lizi Horning
2025-26 Sports Performance Awards
Presented by the Emerson Sports Performance staff, to recognize the top women's and men's team for their consistency, effort, and intent with their physical preparation and Sports Performance training throughout the year.
Women's Sports Performance Award: Women's Soccer
Men's Sports Performance Award: Men's Tennis
2025-26 Academic Team of Champions
Presented to the athletic program with the highest team grade point average over the two previous semesters. This year's recipient was the Women's Soccer Team with a 3.83 team GPA for the Spring 2025 and Fall 2025 semesters.
Maira |
Defne Dadikhi |
Nocchi |
2025-26 Scholar-Athlete Award
Presented to a graduating senior with the highest cumulative grade point average. This year's recipient is men's soccer senior Kyler Maira who is a two-time NEWMAC Academic All-Conference performer that was also named to the NEWMAC Fall Sportsmanship Team and earned Academic All-District® honors from College Sports Communicators (CSC) in the fall.
2025-26 Athletes of the Year
Female Student-Athlete of the Year: Yasmin Defne Dadikhi a senior on the women's cross country team, earned the first All-America honor in program history this past fall when she ran to a program-best 33rd place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The lone Emerson runner to qualify for the NCAA Championships, doing so in consecutive years, is a three-time United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region performer and All-NEWMAC honoree that holds program records at race distances of three, five and six kilometers. She turned in first place finishes at three of Emerson's eight meets in the fall, giving her six individual event wins over her career, and posted program-best finishes of third at the NEWMAC Championships and seventh at the NCAA III East Regional.
Male Student-Athlete of the Year: Filippo Nocchi a junior on the men's tennis team that earned a spot in the NEWMAC Tournament for the first time in program history this spring. Nocchi earned All-NEWMAC honors for both singles and doubles after posting a team-best 17-4 record at No. 1 singles for the Lions to go with a 16-5 doubles mark. He was named the NEWMAC Singles Athlete of the Week twice, giving him three selections over his career, and was part of two NEWMAC Doubles Team of the Week honors.
Based in the world-class city of Boston, Massachusetts, Emerson College fields 14 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division III level that compete as members of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) and Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) for men's volleyball.
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