58 Student-Athletes Earn OVC Academic Medal of Honor
8/7/2026 1:02:00 PM | General
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – 58 Southeast Missouri athletes earned the OVC Academic Medal of Honor for its hard work in the classroom this past school year, the league announced Friday.
The OVC Academic Medal of Honor is given annually to the student-athletes who achieve the highest-grade point average in a Conference-sponsored sport. Every Academic Medal of Honor recipient for the 2025-26 academic year carried a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
The Redhawks topped the conference with the 58 medals of honor winners ahead of Lindenwood with 54 and Eastern Illinois with 44.
A total of 368 Ohio Valley Conference student-athletes has earned the OVC Academic Medal of Honor. The 368 selections passed the previous record of 356 winners set during the 2020-21 academic year. 53 athletes earned honors in multiple sports including 11 from SEMO.
Over the past five years there have been over 1,600 student-athletes earn the OVC Academic Medal of Honor.
The OVC will announce the recipients of the Commissioner's Honor Roll, the Academic Achievement Award and the Team Academic Achievement Awards next week.
Baseball (6)
Ranard Grace
Joe Hall
Brooks Kettering
Caden Kickhaefer
John-Paul Sauer
Men's Cross Country (7)
Jacob Blassingame*
Garrett Dumke*
Clayton Eftink*
Cade McCadams*
Sam Rinehart*
Byron Sowerby*
Myles Thornburg*
Women's Cross Country (3)
Brooklyn Bender*
Layla Fliege*
Kayla Vogelsang*
Football (3)
Payton Brown
Andrew Civey
Wil Phillips
Soccer (7)
Skylar Craft
Riley Henderson
Macie Hockett
Hayley Hogenmiller
Cayla Koerner
Rachel Kretzer
Sophie Shrum
Softball (9)
Brittany A?olter
Lilly Blagoue
Raigan Brannon
Maddie Carney
Kamden Hutton
Addy Martinie
Kinley Wilkins
Madison Winkler
Kaylyn Yamnitz
Tennis (3)
Maja Bajorek
Mia Mayerova
Saskia Soome
Men's Track and FIeld (12)
Jacob Blassingame*
Garrett Dumke*
Clayton Eftink*
Sullivan Gleason
Marcus Gordon Jr.
Tanner Koontz
Cade McCadams*
Connor Moore
Sam Rinehart*
Luis Schaedlich
Byron Sowerby*
Myles Thornburg*
Women's Track and Field (11)
Brooklyn Bender*
Clara Billing
Ava Dumke
Layla Fliege*
Maddie Gray
Emerson Gross
Kendall Holweg
Bailee Hux
Alaina Lester*
Alyssa Repke
Kayla Vogelsang*
Volleyball (7)
Alayna Chrstner
Harper Highfill
Megan Holder
Marin Johnson
Alaina Lester*
Nina Schuberth
Mackenzie Tucker
* - Indicates student-athlete
was a winner in multiple sports
The OVC Academic Medal of Honor is given annually to the student-athletes who achieve the highest-grade point average in a Conference-sponsored sport. Every Academic Medal of Honor recipient for the 2025-26 academic year carried a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
The Redhawks topped the conference with the 58 medals of honor winners ahead of Lindenwood with 54 and Eastern Illinois with 44.
A total of 368 Ohio Valley Conference student-athletes has earned the OVC Academic Medal of Honor. The 368 selections passed the previous record of 356 winners set during the 2020-21 academic year. 53 athletes earned honors in multiple sports including 11 from SEMO.
Over the past five years there have been over 1,600 student-athletes earn the OVC Academic Medal of Honor.
The OVC will announce the recipients of the Commissioner's Honor Roll, the Academic Achievement Award and the Team Academic Achievement Awards next week.
Baseball (6)
Ranard Grace
Joe Hall
Brooks Kettering
Caden Kickhaefer
John-Paul Sauer
Men's Cross Country (7)
Jacob Blassingame*
Garrett Dumke*
Clayton Eftink*
Cade McCadams*
Sam Rinehart*
Byron Sowerby*
Myles Thornburg*
Women's Cross Country (3)
Brooklyn Bender*
Layla Fliege*
Kayla Vogelsang*
Football (3)
Payton Brown
Andrew Civey
Wil Phillips
Soccer (7)
Skylar Craft
Riley Henderson
Macie Hockett
Hayley Hogenmiller
Cayla Koerner
Rachel Kretzer
Sophie Shrum
Softball (9)
Brittany A?olter
Lilly Blagoue
Raigan Brannon
Maddie Carney
Kamden Hutton
Addy Martinie
Kinley Wilkins
Madison Winkler
Kaylyn Yamnitz
Tennis (3)
Maja Bajorek
Mia Mayerova
Saskia Soome
Men's Track and FIeld (12)
Jacob Blassingame*
Garrett Dumke*
Clayton Eftink*
Sullivan Gleason
Marcus Gordon Jr.
Tanner Koontz
Cade McCadams*
Connor Moore
Sam Rinehart*
Luis Schaedlich
Byron Sowerby*
Myles Thornburg*
Women's Track and Field (11)
Brooklyn Bender*
Clara Billing
Ava Dumke
Layla Fliege*
Maddie Gray
Emerson Gross
Kendall Holweg
Bailee Hux
Alaina Lester*
Alyssa Repke
Kayla Vogelsang*
Volleyball (7)
Alayna Chrstner
Harper Highfill
Megan Holder
Marin Johnson
Alaina Lester*
Nina Schuberth
Mackenzie Tucker
* - Indicates student-athlete
was a winner in multiple sports
Wednesday, July 08
Tuesday, June 30
Tuesday, June 30
Tuesday, June 30
