MILLIGAN, Tenn. — On the campus of Milligan University, Seeger Chapel served as the stage Wednesday night for the fifth annual Buffy Awards, a night dedicated to celebrating academic and athletic excellence. The Buffys honor the accomplishments of student-athletes and teams from Spring 2025 through the present season. In just over a year, Milligan athletics has captured 11 national championships (five in cycling, three in track, a pair in disc golf and one in swimming), while setting 32 program records along the way. Sixteen awards were presented throughout the night to honor athletes, support staff and coaches. Among the evening's festivities, the Eli Cramer Award was presented in honor of his enduring legacy.

Here is a breakdown of the full voting results:

Female Academic Team

Nominations:
Basketball
Dance
Golf
Softball
Swimming
Tennis
Volleyball
 
Winner:
Softball 

Male Academic Team

Nominations:
Bowling
Cross Country
Disc Golf
Golf
Swimming
Tennis
Triathlon

Winner:
Swimming

Unsung Hero

Nominations:
Nina Lovelace - Women's Basketball
Kaylee Oler - Softball
Madison Laughters - Cheer
Nick Cymeck - Men's Volleyball
Caleb McDonald - Men's Bowling
Emily King - Women's Bowling
Zack Turner - Men's Basketball
Miller Spence - Baseball

Winner:
Nina Lovelace - Women's Basketball

Female Rookie of the Year

Nominations:
Annabelle Stewart - Cross Country
Abigail Maniace - Swim
Callie Reeder - Women's Basketball
Paige Fortier - Women's Basketball
Aleah Soderman - Track
Madison Berry - Women's Tennis
Javiera Garrido Munoz - Cycling
Lily Rumrill - Flag Football

Winner:
Paige Fortier - Bowling

Male Rookie of the Year

Nominations:
Christoph Haenel - Swimming
Cole Hartley - Baseball
Trevor Sinard - Track & Field
Javier Salgado - Men's Soccer
Jake Benham - Men's Basketball
Spencer Brown - Disc Golf
Jack Flippin - Cycling
Aidan Sinclair - Golf
 
Winner:
Trevor Sinard - Track & Field

Comeback Athlete of the Year

Nominations:
Cora Browning - Women's Basketball
Mykelah Davis - Flag Football
Katelyn Williams - Women's Swimming
Dillion Geary - Cycling
Landon Lutterman - Baseball
Adria Alles - Men's Basketball
Skyler Miller - Women's Basketball
 
Winner:
Adria Alles - Men's Soccer

Breakthrough Athlete of the Year

Nominations:
Jordan Roulettwheeler - Softball
Alissa Smith - Dance
Mallory TeVrucht - Women's Golf
Wyatt Heidle - Baseball
Aaron Gottlied - Men's Track & Field
Jackson McRae - Men's Bowling
Michal Curlej - Men's Tennis
 
Winner:
Aaron Gottlied - Men's Track & Field

Support Staff of the Year

Nominations:
Doneva Bays - Senior Woman Leader
Jeff Bourn - Interim AD
Brendan Sweany - Sports Communications
Kaylee Hendrickson - Digital Media
Athletic Training Staff
Trini Rangel - Faculty Athletic Rep
 
Winner:
Athletic Training Staff 

Assistant Coach of the Year

Nominations:
Neely Agnew - Swimming
Zach Melton - Disc Golf
Gerrett Benjamin - Tennis
Fabio/Madelyn Palmieri - Track & Field
Landon Stephens - Women's Basketball
Taylor Davis - Baseball
Kate Trabaka - Dance
Johnny Mitchell - Cycling
 
Winner:
Taylor Davis - Baseball

Individual Performance of the Year

Nominations:
Riley Renaud - Women's Swimming / 1650 Yard Freestyle National Championship
Ellen-Mary Kearney - Women's Track & Field / 3000m Indoor National Title
Caleb Fry - Men's Swimming / Sub 20 seconds in 50 Yard Freestyle at Mid-Season Meet
Elijah Bredwood - Men's Basketball / Scored 54 points, set MU Single-Game Scoring Record
Luis Peralta - Men's Track & Field / Ran 600m in 1:17.52 to set AAC Meet Record, NAIA fastest mark of season
Alana Parsons - Softball / Went 5-for-7 with a Grand Slam HR and 7 RBI and hit .846 on the week
Halle Steele - Women's Soccer / Back-to-Back goals in comeback tie vs Reinhardt
Riley Wrightsman - Cycling / Individual and Team Time Trial National Champion
 
Winner:
Elijah Bredwood - Men's Basketball

Eli Cramer Award

Nominations:
Kenzie Campbell - Women's Basketball
Lincoln Thomae - Men's Basketball
Alana Parsons - Softball
Ramsey Greenwell - Cheer
Jack Allen - Men's Swimming
Andy Achey - Men's Volleyball
 
Winner:
Kenzie Campbell - Women's Basketball

Fan of the Year

Nominations:
Dennis Bailey
Curtis Booher
Frank Harlan
John Jackson
Kirk English
Liesl Huhn
Dennis Helsabeck
 
Winner:
Dennis Bailey

Head Coach of the Year

Nominations:
Robyn Roszel - Swimming
Cassie Fortner - Softball
Chris Layne - Cross Country/Track & Field
Kylie Greer - Women's Basketball
Skyler Barnett - Baseball
Brian Rickert - Bowling
Ryan Witten - Flag Football
Paddy Sweeney - Men's Soccer
 
Winner:
Ryan Witten - Flag Football                                           

Female Athlete of the Year

Nominations:
Shelby Miller - Volleyball
Ellen-Mary Kearney - Cross Country
Semaj Clark - Basketball
Riley Renaud - Swimming
Emily Cheesman - Bowling
Catalina Easley - Golf
Katelyn Penner - Soccer
Bridget Keyser - Flag Football
Grace Sanderson - Disc Golf
 
Winner:
Semaj Clark - Women's Basketball & Ellen-Mary Kearney- Cross Country

Male Athlete of the Year

Nominations:
Caleb Fry - Swimming
Gaven Jones - Baseball
Elijah Bredwood - Basketball
Kerim Akpinar - Soccer
Bryson Lewis - Cross Country
Sean Jenkins - Bowling
Francisco de Bethencourt - Golf
Marti Molins Rallo - Track & Field
Brody McDonald - Cycling
 
Winner:
Kerim Akpinar - Soccer

Male Team of the Year

Nominations:
Swimming
Baseball
Bowling
Cross Country
Disc Golf
Soccer
Cycling

Winner:
Baseball

Female Team of the Year

Nominations:
Basketball
Golf
Swimming
Flag Football
Cross Country
Bowling
Softball
 
Winner:
Basketball

Click HERE for on-demand viewing of the video stream of the event.