Loyola New Orleans Athletics hands out Wolfies awards Monday

NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans Athletic Department held its Wolfies Awards Show on Monday, which honored Wolf Pack student-athletes for their success in the classroom and on the playing surface. This is the 20th year of Wolf Pack Athletics hosting a variation of the Student-Athlete Awards Ceremony, and the second year of the revamped Wolfies.  
 

In addition to honoring scholar-athletes and graduates, the Loyola Athletics Department also handed out 12 of-the-year awards: Highest Team GPA, Rookie of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Ochsner Comeback Athlete of the Year, Pursuit of Excellence, Breakthrough Athlete of the Year, The Team Moment of the Year, Individual Performance of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year, and Male Athlete of the Year. 
 

"Tonight we celebrated what makes our student-athletes exceptional," Assistant Vice President of Athletics Brett Simpson said. "Not just how they compete, but how they learn, lead, and represent something greater than themselves. The standard here is excellence in both the classroom and competition, and this group continues to raise it."
 

A total of 252 student-athletes received either Gold (4.0 GPA), Silver (3.50-3.99 GPA), or Bronze (3.00-3.49 GPA) status from Loyola. The Wolf Pack student-athletes combined to have 28 achieve the Gold standard, 148 reach Silver, and 76 earn Bronze. Seventy-eight NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes from the 2025-26 academic year, and 65 graduates were also honored during the event. 
 

(Click here for a full list of our scholar-athlete honorees)
 

Dr. Leonard Kahn (Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences), Dr. Bobby Savioe (Dean of the College of Business), Dr. Sheryl Kennedy Haydel (Dean of the College of Music and Media), The Honorable Madeline Landrieu (Dean of the College of Law), and Dr. Michelle Collins (Dean of the College of Nursing and Health) presented the scholar-athlete awards, followed by Dr. Thomas Chambers presenting the NAIA Scholar Athlete certificates. Loyola President Dr. Xavier Cole bestowed the graduates with their stoles after that. 
 

The night concluded with The Wolfie awards, first awarding the Highest Team GPA award for the 2025 calendar year to the Wolf Pack beach volleyball team with a GPA of 3.695. 
 

The Rookie of the Year awards, which honor first-year male and female Loyola student-athletes, went to volleyball's Isis Harink and cross country and track and field's Dylan Brown. Harink not only received Freshman of the Year honors after her fantastic rookie season, but she was also awarded the SSAC Attacker of the Year title as well. Brown earned Second Team All-Conference honors while also being named to the All-Freshman Team after his performance at the SSAC Cross Country Championship, and he contributed to a Second Team All-Conference finish in the Distance Medley Relay at the SSAC Indoor Track and Field Championship. 
 

The Newcomer of the Year award recognizes an individual who has made an immediate impact in their first year at the University. Both SeQuoia Carroll and Nathan McDonald were integral parts of their team's success this season. Carroll helped the women's basketball team rack up 25 wins during the 2025-26 campaign, and she was selected to the SSAC All-Conference Second Team. McDonald leads the baseball team in multiple categories (hits, home runs, RBI, total bases, doubles, and slugging percentage), and will almost certainly make an appearance on the SSAC Baseball All-Conference lists when they are announced later this week. 
 

The Breakthrough Athlete of the Year was awarded to senior long-distance runner Connor Meigs, who has demonstrated measurable performance improvement, earned an increased role, and made a meaningful impact on team success. He improved his SSAC Championship finish from 38th to seventh at this year's championship meet, also earning First Team All-Conference honors. His growth has extended to the track, where he now holds school records in the 3000-meter steeplechase and indoor 5000 meters, and ranks third all-time in the indoor 3000 meters, all achieved in 2026. He also placed third in the SSAC Indoor Championships in the 5000 meters and third in the SSAC Outdoor Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, further establishing himself among the conference's elite distance runners.
 

Individual Performance of the Year went to Malachi Lee from the esports program. Lee dominated on the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team, and his year was highlighted by two events. In the fall, against the UHD Gators, he anchored as Loyola's final player and mounted an incredible comeback for both sets, taking a total of 18 stocks while holding on to his 3. He followed that performance in the spring with an even more commanding display against STU Esports, taking 22 of 24 stocks and effectively dismantling the opposing team on his own.
 

The Ochsner Comeback Athlete of the Year was given to baseball's Jordan McKenzie, who overcame a 2025 season-ending injury to play an important role for the Wolf Pack in 2026. Almost one year to the day, he stepped back on the field and made an immediate impact, hitting a home run in his first game back. It was a moment that reflected the work behind the scenes and the way he handled the process from start to finish.
 

Track and field's Kyli Baker was given the Pursuit of Excellence award, as she's put together a long list of extracurricular activities and volunteer efforts. While excelling on the track and maintaining an impressive 3.57 GPA, she has fully immersed herself in campus life through meaningful involvement and service.
 

The Team Moment of the Year honor went to the Wolf Pack indoor volleyball team, which captured their first-ever SSAC Championship title in November. Loyola defeated top-seeded Mobile in four sets in Montgomery, Alabama, to earn the automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship. 
 

The presentation of the Female and Male Athletes of the Year award capped off the evening, as Alissa O'Dell and Kameron Johnson earned those titles. O'Dell was a Third Team NAIA All-America selection and the 2026 SSAC Player of the Year. A First-Team All-SSAC and All-Tournament selection for the second consecutive year, she led the Wolf Pack once again in both scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.2 rpg), while pacing the conference with an outstanding 54.5 percent shooting from the field. Johnson became the second player ever in program history to earn SSAC Player of the Year, while also collecting First-Team All-SSAC recognition and Second-Team NAIA All-America accolades. As the Wolf Pack's floor general, he started 29 games and led the team in points (18.4), assists (6.4), and steals (1.9) per game, while adding 4.5 rebounds and knocking down 52 threes at a team-best 39.4 percent.
 

Father Gregg Grovenburg ended the evening with the benediction.