LANCASTER, Pa. - Six senior student-athletes have been honored as the 2026 Centennial Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Dickinson women's soccer senior Lila Brown, Johns Hopkins men's track & field senior Rowan Cassidy, Gettysburg volleyball senior Mary Huegel, Haverford women's track & field senior Carly Priest, Johns Hopkins women's track & field senior Lianne Saussy and Ursinus women's lacrosse senior Sophia Curtis each received one of the top awards presented annually by the conference.

The Centennial awards a Scholar-Athlete of the Year in each of its 24 championship sports to a junior or senior member of the All-Conference team with the highest cumulative grade point average based on a 4.0 scale. The overall Scholar-Athletes of the Year are presented to the students with the highest GPA among the 12 men and 12 women's winners. This marks the first five-way tie for the honor on the women's side. The five women's award recipients are each seniors and first team All-Centennial honorees with matching GPAs, meaning a tie could not be broken based on the CC tie-breaking criteria.

Women
Brown, a senior defender for the Red Devil women's soccer team, is the third Dickinson student-athlete to collect Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades. An environmental science major from Washington, D.C., Brown was a 2025 second team United Soccer Coaches All-American and two-time All-Region pick. She was named a first team Scholar All-American by both the United Soccer Coaches and College Sports Communicators (CSC). Brown was the first-ever Red Devil women's soccer player to be selected as the Centennial Defensive Player of the Year in 2025, spearheading a stingy Dickinson defense that surrendered just 16 goals on the season. She also posed an offensive threat, recording five goals and three assists from her defensive position. Off the field, Brown has worked as an emergency medical technican for an EMS, an admissions fellow, research assistant and tour guide for Dickinson and served in leadership positions for Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women.

Huegel, a senior middle hitter on the Bullet vollyeball team, is the third Gettysburg student-athlete to secure overall Scholar-Athlete of the Year laurels. A biology and molecular biolody major from Marlboro, N.J., Huegel was an honorable mention All-America selection and CSC third team Academic All-American. A three-time All-Region and All-Centennial performer, Huegel started all 26 matches in which she played in 2025 and led the CC in blocks per set (1.16) with a team-high 104 blocks, and ranked second in the conference in hitting percentage (.328) he also contributed 180 kills and 28 aces. She is just the third Bullet volleyball player to be named to the All-Centennial first team at least three times. For her career, she holds the program record for block assists with 356 and has the most blocks in the rally scoring era in program history with 444. Huegel has been a regular on the Dean's List as well as being involved in numerous campus organizations, including as vice president of Sceptical Chymists, Director of Academic Affairs and Director of Alumnae Engagement for Alpha Delta Pi and Order of Omega. She has been a teaching assistant in organic chemistry and a BOMBS Peer Mentor. She worked for residential education as an RA and was an X-SIG Summer Researcher.

Priest, a senior middle distance runner for the Fords women's track & field team, is the third Haverford student-athlete to be named overall Scholar-Athlete of the Year. A neuroscience major from Columbus, Ohio, Priest is a two-time All-Centennial honoree as a 4x800 relay team member, and a United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region pick as part of the Fords' 4x400 relay. Off the track, Priest has worked as a research assistant, residential community advisor and shadowed occupational therapists.

Saussy, a senior middle distance runner for the Blue Jay women's track & field team, is the third Johns Hopkins student-athlete to earn the overall Scholar-Athlete of the Year. A molecular and cellular biology major, Saussy is an All-American and seven-time All-Centennial honoree in a variety of relays and the 400 hurdles. Her top career placing came at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championship, running the 400 meter leg of the fourth-place JHU distance medley relay squad. She has qualified for the national meet four times between the indoor and outdoor seasons. Off the track, Saussy was a member of the Blue Key Society, Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society, JHU's Dean's List and served as the vice president of JHU Synapse, a volunteering-focused organization committed to advocating and initiating a supportive community for individuals with brain injury.

Curtis, a senior defender for the Bears women's lacrosse team, is the first Ursinus student-athlete to take home overall Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors. A health sciences major from Yardley, Pa., Curtis was recently named to the USA Lacrosse Magazine Division III All-American honorable mention team in addition to receiving first team Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) and first team All-Centennial recognition. Curtis punctuated her Ursinus career with one of the best seasons by a defender in the program's history in 2026. She recorded a career best and conference-leading 2.14 caused turnovers per game, with her total of 41 caused turnovers tying for the second-most in Ursinus program history. Off the field, Curtis has worked as a physical therapy aide, student rehab assistant and strength and conditioning coach.

Men
Cassidy, a senior distance runner for the Blue Jay men's cross country and track & field team, is the second Johns Hopkins student-athlete to receive the overall Scholar-Athlete of the Year since the award was established in the 2015-16 academic year. A neuroscience major with minors in Spanish and applied mathematics & statistics from Manalapan, N.J., Cassidy is one of just three student-athletes in Centennial history to earn sport Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors four times. Cassidy is a four-time All-Centennial performer in both cross country and track & field, with his track & field accolades coming as part of the 4x800 relay. Off the track, Cassidy has worked as a PILOT leader, private tutor, undergraduate teaching assistant and clinical research assistant.
 
Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award Recipients

2016: Brad Brooks, swimming, McDaniel; Anna Inserra, lacrosse, Washington College
2017: James Stadler, cross country/track, Haverford; Elizabeth Garrison, volleyball, Muhlenberg
2018: Nick Zambelli, football, Moravian; Taylor Bauman, volleyball, McDaniel; Julia Portmann, swimming, Washington College
2019: Ben Frost, lacrosse, Haverford; Taylor Bauman, volleyball, McDaniel
2020: Adam Gamber, track & field, Dickinson; Sadie Camilliere, lacrosse, Swarthmore
2022: Oliver Pickering, swimming, Gettysburg; Jamie Belfer, softball, Franklin & Marshall
2023: Rushil Patel, tennis, Swarthmore; Rachel Chatfield, soccer, Washington College
2024: Rushil Patel, tennis, Swarthmore; Meredith Mangum, volleyball, Franklin & Marshall
2025: Mikey Fellman, tennis, Gettysburg; Maddie Brown, track & field, Dickinson; Michaela O'Neil, basketball, Johns Hopkins; Kat Esposito, field hockey, Washington College.
2026: Rowan Cassidy, track & field, Johns Hopkins; Lila Brown, soccer, Dickinson; Mary Huegel, volleyball, Gettysburg; Carly Priest, track & field, Haverford; Lianne Saussy, track & field, Johns Hopkins; Sophia Curtis, lacrosse, Ursinus