FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason Athletics annual banquet was held on Tuesday afternoon at EagleBank Arena to recognize the academic, athletic, and civic achievements of its student-athletes.

The Green and Gold Celebration brought together the student-athletes and coaches from George Mason's 22 intercollegiate sports, spirit teams, along with department staff and George Mason supporters.

Awards bestowed upon the Patriots on Tuesday included the Aimee Willard Commemorative Award, Susan Collins Leadership for Women in Sport Award, President's Cup, Dr. Pettrone Student-Athlete of the Year, and a series of other awards which honor athletic excellence in a variety of categories. The 125 seniors received their George Mason Award, a hand-sculpted artwork of George Mason designed as a permanent remembrance of both the institution and the student-athlete's legacy. And finally, for the third year in a row, SAAC created superlatives categories, voted on by student-athletes from each team.

The prestigious Aimee Willard Commemorative Award was established in 1997 to remember former George Mason soccer and lacrosse athlete Aimee Willard, whose life was tragically taken by a brutal act of violence in her hometown of Philadelphia in 1996. The award assures that Aimee's legacy and contributions live on through another George Mason student-athlete who mirror the standards of quality set by Aimee in her two-sport career: intensity, consistency of purpose, achievement, and teamwork.

This year's recipient was women's lacrosse student-athlete Regan Bestick, presented by Director of Athletics Marvin Lewis. Five other student-athletes were nominated by their head coaches for the award: Vaughn McMeans (men's golf), Owen Clyne (baseball), Logan Messer (wrestling), Maria Franjicic (women's soccer) and Abby Weening (women's track and field).

In the words of her coach Kara Mupo, "Reagan upholds Aimee's standards of integrity, purpose, achievement, and teamwork. A fearless and authentic leader, she is the backbone of the team, consistently uplifting those around her and leaving a lasting impact on the program and athletic department."

On the field, Bestick anchors the Mason defense, ranking 50th nationally in save percentage, 17th in total saves, and 16th in saves per game. Off the field, she's a team captain, Morgan's Message ambassador, a dean's list honoree, and a provost scholar.

Faculty athletics representative Dr. Dominique Banville then presented the Susan Collins Leadership Award for Women in Sport to women's rowing student-athlete, June Johnson. Two other student-athletes were nominated for the award: Kaitlyn Bestick (women's lacrosse) and Fiona Agyekum (women's track and field).

The award recognizes the student-athlete who best exemplifies the leadership qualities set by former George Mason Senior Associate Athletic Director Sue Collins, who dedicated more than 40 years in NCAA Division I athletics and 34 years with the Patriots. Her leadership, integrity, innovation, mentoring, and service to the NCAA, George Mason and the local community has created a legacy that will keep George Mason Athletics a leader in college sports for years to come.

June Johnson embodies the spirit of the Sue Collins Leadership Award through her impactful leadership and service across the athletics department, the Atlantic 10, and the university. As an A-10 SAAC president and former vice president, she has been a strong voice for student-athletes while also serving in key campus leadership roles, including student government and the presidential student advisory group. Beyond athletics, she leads as president of the Schar Pre-Law society and supports student-athlete mental health through Morgan's Message.

The final individual award of the celebration named wrestling's DJ McGee and women's lacrosse's Kate Anders as the Dr. Pettrone Student-Athletes of the Year.

Anders has totaled 50 goals and 12 assists, ranking among the A-10's top offensive players and one of the nation's premier attackers in 2026. She sits fourth in the conference in goals per game and first in shots per game, while ranking 21st nationally in goals, 22nd in goals per game, and sixth in shots per game. Off the field, she is a Dean's list honoree, three-time A-10 commissioner's honor roll selection, and 2025 IWLCA honor roll recipient. She has demonstrated strong leadership as a two-year captain, team impact leader, and member of Morgan's message. 

McGee exemplifies excellence in performance, character, and commitment to his team and academics. A three-time NCAA qualifier—one of only eight at George Mason since 1972—he reached the top 16 at this year's NCAA championships as the #18 seed. He holds the second-most NCAA championship wins in program history and is tied for 16th all-time at GMU with 80 career victories. "McGee's leadership and loyalty set him apart. He leads by example through preparation, effort, and accountability while prioritizing team success," added wrestling coach Frank Beasley.

GREEN & GOLD CELEBRATION AWARD WINNERS

Aimee Willard Commemorative Award 
Regan Bestick (Women's Lacrosse)

Susan Collins Leadership for Women in Sport Award
June Johnson (Women's Rowing)

President's Cup
The award is presented to the George Mason team that has earned the highest cumulative GPA the past two semesters
Women's Team: Tennis
Men's Team: Golf

Iron Patriot Award
The Iron Patriot Award is presented to the senior student-athlete who through their dedication, commitment and sacrifice in the weight room has been a positive influence in their role as a teammate and on their competitive performance. Student-athletes are selected for the award by members of the strength and conditioning team at Mason.
Women's Team Iron Patriot: Page Greenburg (Women's Basketball)
Men's Team Iron Patriot: Logan Rumberg (Baseball)

The NIL Excellence Award
Established this year, the NIL Excellence award honors a student-athlete who demonstrates leadership, professionalism, creativity, and community impact through their NIL activities. Selection is based on the quality and originality of NIL content, audience engagement, and positive impact on the community and institution. The award recognizes a student-athlete who builds their personal brand with integrity, purpose, and excellence both within their sport and beyond. 

Women's NIL Excellence Award: Madyson Taylor (Women's Soccer)
Men's NIL Excellence Award: Drew Canody (Baseball)

Women's Team Dr. Pettrone Student-Athlete of the Year: Kate Anders (Women's Lacrosse)
Men's Team Dr. Pettrone Student-Athlete of the Year: DJ McGee (Wrestling)

Women's Team Sportsmanship: Jordan Lucas (Women's Volleyball)
Men's Team Sportsmanship: Evan Blanchard (Baseball)

Women's Team Most Improved: Chelsea Colter (Women's Volleyball)
+ A-10 Second Team All-Conference
+ Increased her stats by +0.52 kills per set, +0.083 attack %,
+ 0.3 blocks per set, and 0.72 points per set between her sophomore and junior season, which was already a huge improvement from her freshman season
+ Got hurt with 3 games remaining in the season and still improved her total kills (+51), blocks (+29), and points (+69.5) compared to her sophomore year

Men's Team Most Improved: Kelly Janssen (Men's Soccer)
+ Junior Kelly Janssen earned First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors after recording five goals and one assist in 2025.
+ He has increased his impact each season, appearing in 10 games (2023), 12 games (2024), and 16 games (2025).
+ In 2025, Janssen played 16 matches with five starts, totaling five goals and one assist, after scoring three goals in 12 appearances in 2024 and two goals in 10 games (four starts) in 2023.

Women's Team Rookie of the Year: Kiera Hamilton (Women's Volleyball)
+ A-10 Rookie of the Year, A-10 First Team All-Conference, and A-10 All-Rookie Team as a true freshman
+ Averaged 3.58 kills, 4.06 points, 2.15 digs, and 0.52 blocks per set over 23 matches and 91 sets
+ Led team in kills (326) and points (369.5)
+ 2x Rookie of the Week +Notched double-digit kills in 21 games, and double-digit digs in 10 games
+ Finished with 9 double-doubles
+Tallied career-high 21 kills vs. Coppin State
+ Had multiple blocks on 14 occasions, including five 4+ block games
+ Top 5 in the A-10 in kills per set and points per set

Men's Team Rookie of the Year: Derek Dykman (Men's Swim and Dive)
+ Broke the George Mason freshman record in the 100-yard freestyle and posted the second-fastest time by a Patriots freshman in both the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly
+ Made two A-Finals and one B-Final at the 2026 Atlantic 10 Championships, placing seventh in both the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly, and ninth in the 100-yard freestyle
+ Was third in the 200-yard freestyle against Towson and William & Mary during the season
+ Part of the Patriots 200, 400 and 800 free relay teams and medley relay teams during the season, including leadoff five times in freestyle relays.

Women's Team of The Year: 2025-26 Women's Basketball
+ The Patriots secured a piece of the A-10 Regular Season Championship for the first time in program history, and came up 2-points shy of winning their second A-10 Tournament Championship.
+ They secured their third postseason berth in three years, and hosted a postseason game for just the third time ever.
+ Four Patriots were named to the postseason A-10 awards, and the team set program records for most conference wins in a season (16) and most consecutive 20-win seasons.

Men's Team of The Year: 2025 Men's Outdoor Track & Field
+ George Mason men's track and field team captured the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championship title, marking their first championship win since 2019.
+ The squad delivered a dominant showing on day two of the meet, earning 10 gold medals.

GREEN & GOLD CELEBRATION SAAC SUPERLATIVE WINNERS

WHO IS GEORGE MASON?
Women's Team: June Johnson (Rowing)
Men's Team: James Eliuda (Men's Soccer)

HUMAN HIGHLIGHT REEL
Women's Team: Abby Messer (Women's Track & Field)
Men's Team: Aidan Weltin (Men's Volleyball)

BEST DUO
Women's Team: Carly Passaro & Tessa Niedzwiedzki (Women's Soccer)
Men's Team: Jaime Godinho & Martim Sereno (Men's Soccer)

BEST COMEBACK
Women's Team: Ally Yeary (Swimming & Diving)
Men's Team: Quentin Clain (Men's Soccer)