GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — Men’s volleyball middle blocker Morgan Makovec and women’s track & field sprinter Jahzara Hart were named the Tusculum University Athletes of the Year. The announcement was made at the 2025-2026 Senior Awards Banquet held Tuesday night at Pioneer Arena.
The awards ceremony celebrates Tusculum’s student-athletes, coaches and athletic staff for on the field and off the field successes and accomplishments.
Makovec, a junior from Virginia Beach, Virginia, has led the Pioneers to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in program history. He leads the nation with his TU single-season record .538 hitting percentage while averaging 2.5 kills per set and a team-best 85 total blocks. His 293.0 points were the most on the team as he recorded 27 service aces and 36 digs.
Hart, a senior from Raleigh, North Carolina, earned All-America honors in both the 60 and 200 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship. She placed fourth in the 60 and fifth in the 200. She swept gold in the 60 and 200 meters at the South Atlantic Conference Indoor Championship. She is currently ranked first in the nation in the 100 meters with a school-record time of 11.11 seconds. She is also ninth in NCAA II 200 meters and is part of the 4×100 relay that is also currently No. 1 in the country.
Track & Field head coach Robert T. Williams is this year’s recipient of the Art Argauer Coach of the Year Award. Williams earns this award for a second consecutive year. He led the Tusculum women to a runner-up performance at the 2026 SAC Indoor Championship, its best finish in program history. Five TU performers qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championship, while several of his student-athletes are poised to make a strong showing at the Outdoor Championships next month.
Rookie golfer Ed Linley was named the Male Freshman Athlete of the Year. The Romford, England product finished his first TU season with a team-best 72.8 stroke average, the lowest ever by a Pioneer freshman. He recorded four top-20 performances including three times in the top-10 as he finished runner up for SAC Freshman Golfer of the Year.
Beach volleyball standout Sofia Vega was named the Female Freshman Athlete of the Year. The Acworth, Georgia native was named to the 2024 SAC All-Freshman Team as she led the team with 261 kills while also posting 101 digs and 27 blocks.
Baseball student-athlete Connor Jurek is the 2025-26 recipient of the Walter T. Dette Spirit Award. The Dette Award is presented to the graduating senior or graduate student who has excelled in several areas while attending Tusculum and supporting the athletic department in its endeavors.
Six Tusculum upperclassmen are the recipients of the Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award, which is given to the top male and female student-athletes for academic success.
On the women’s side, three student-athletes have perfect 4.00 grade point averages including: softball pitcher Natalie Spaitis (Schaumburg, Ill.) and soccer’s Tanna Bookhamer (Greeneville, Tenn.) and lacrosse’s Haley Cain (Evergreen, Colo.).
The trio of football offensive lineman Nehemiah Storey (Rockwood, Tenn.) and baseball infielder Jake Smith (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and pitcher Ben Randall (Land O Lakes, Fla.) each have a 4.00 GPA and are the recipients of the Male Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award.
Academic achievement was also recognized with the Male and Female Freshman of the Year Academic Awards as five student-athletes were honored after recording 4.00 GPAs including: Beach Volleyball’s Maddie Labossiere; Lidya Atalay (Istanbul, Turkey) of women’s golf; Muriel Dillow (Abingdon, Va.) of softball; women’s volleyball’s Mary Katherine Hall (Nashville, Tenn.); and Jackson Cardey (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) of men’s lacrosse.
Tennis graduate assistant coach Nathan Matsuguma was named the recipient of the Tusculum Assistant Coach of the Year Award. Matsuguma, who lettered on the Tusculum tennis for three seasons, is wrapping up his first year on the coaching staff. Prior to the hire of new head coach Wyatt Pauley, Matsuguma was instrumental in helping keep the tennis program moving forward. The TU men’s team recorded three wins over ranked teams, posted a 17-5 record and finished third in the conference, one year after finishing eighth in the league.
Track & Field Athlete Lansford Cunningham (Montego Bay, Jamaica) is the recipient of the Comeback Athlete of the Year Award. This honor is selected by TU’s athletic training staff and presented to the student-athlete who has overcome injury and adversity while contributing to the success of their respective program.
The 2025-26 recipient of the Chuck Williams Service Award goes to Todd Ireland, Associate Head Baseball Coach. He has served his alma mater for nearly three decades where he is an invaluable member of the baseball coaching staff at the athletic department. He is an adjunct faculty member and continues to volunteer in various ways at the University. The Williams Service Award, which debuted in 2024 and is named after longtime photographer Chuck Williams. It is presented annually to an individual in recognition of their service and dedication to the Tusculum Athletic Department and its mission.
The Paxton-Combs Fan of the Year Award is named in honor of former Tusculum staff members and long-time Pioneer fans Mary Helen Paxton and Joyce Combs. This year’s Student Fan of the Year is Martina Garofalo (Rome, Italy) of the women’s basketball team. The Paxton-Combs Fan of the Year is Bobbie Clarkston, Assistant Athletic Director for Academics.
2025-26 Tusculum University Athletic Award Recipients
Male Athlete of the Year: Morgan Makovec (Volleyball)
Female Athlete of the Year: Jahzara Hart (Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field)
Art Arguaer Coach of the Year Award: Robert T. Williams (Track & Field)
Male Freshman Athlete of the Year: Ed Linley (Golf)
Female Freshman Athlete of the Year: Sofia Vega (Beach Volleyball)
Male Freshman of the Year Academic Award: Jackson Cardey (Lacrosse)
Female Freshman of the Year Academic Award: Maddie Labossiere (Beach Volleyball); Lidya Atalay (Golf); Muriel Dillow (Softball); Mary Katherine Hall (Volleyball)
Male Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award: Nehemiah Storey (Football); Ben Randall (Baseball); Jake Smith (Baseball)
Female Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award: Natalie Spaitis (Softball), Tanna Bookhamer (Soccer); Haley Cain (Lacrosse)
Assistant Coach of the Year: Nathan Matsuguma (Tennis)
Walter T. Dette, Jr. Spirit Award: Connor Jurek (Baseball)
Paxton-Combs Fan of the Year: Bobbie Clarkston (Asst. Athletic Director for Academics)
Paxton-Combs Student Fan of the Year: Martina Garofalo (Women’s Basketball))
Most Spirited Award: Emily Head
Chuck Williams Service Award: Todd Ireland (Baseball)
Comeback Athlete of the Year: Lansford Cunningham (Men’s Track & Field)
Pioneer Cup: Beach Volleyball
Play of the Year: Women’s Indoor Track & Field 4 x 400 Relay Team winning the SAC Championship
Team Most Valuable Players
Men’s Cross Country: Nathan Buckeridge
Men’s Basketball: TJ Printup
Football: Rashad Watson
Men’s Soccer: Hugo Le Floch
Men’s Indoor Track & Field: Lansford Cunningham
Baseball: Jack Gagen
Men’s Lacrosse: Garrett Smith
Men’s Golf: Ed Linley
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field: Chazz Alexander
Men’s Volleyball: Morgan Makovec
Men’s Tennis: Rens Verhaar
Women’s Cross Country: Jessica Mbhamali
Women’s Soccer: Wilma Axelsson
Women’s Golf: Reagan Padilla
Women’s Basketball: Abbi Douglas
Women’s Volleyball: Jaida Alvin
Softball: Chelsey Stonesifer
Women’s Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field: Jahzara Hart
Beach Volleyball: Hannah Marsh / Sofia Vega
Women’s Tennis: Ylva Frafjord Landa
Women’s Lacrosse: Jessie Carolin-Vandenberg
