Eastern Michigan Athletics
Pfeiffer, Wozney Earn MAC Medal of Excellence Award
5/21/2026 9:00:00 AM | Baseball, General, Lacrosse
Award is presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete from each of the 13 conference member institutions
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan University student-athletes Michael Pfeiffer and Annika Wozney will be presented with the Mid-American Conference Medal of Excellence Award during the 2026 Honors Dinner Ceremony at the Cleveland Hotel as part of MAC Spring Meetings on Thursday, May 29.
The Medal of Excellence is presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each of the 13 Conference member institutions.
To receive the Medal of Excellence Award, student-athletes must have participated at the varsity level in a Conference-sponsored sport, maintained a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA, and demonstrated excellence in athletics, leadership, and service. Honorees are selected by their respective institutions.
A recent EMU graduate, Pfeiffer (Brownsboro, Ala./Huntsville/Northwest-Shoals C.C.) graduated with a bachelor's degree in sport management in the spring. On the diamond, he transitioned to a starter role after coming out of the bullpen in 2025. The right-handed arm started nine games in 2026, tossing 38.0 innings, the third-most on the squad. Pfeiffer excelled in his last four outings of the season, tossing a combined 6.2 innings while allowing just one earned run. The stretch was highlighted by a scoreless three-inning appearance at Michigan State, May 12.
A standout on the lacrosse field, Wozney (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) earned her second career honor from the conference as she was named All-MAC Second Team one year after earning a spot on the first team for her defensive play. This year, Wozney tied for the team lead with 20 caused turnovers and added 11 ground balls as she started and played all 16 games, making her one of only two players in program history to start and play in all 65 contests. She recorded five caused turnovers against Robert Morris, April 18, which was tied for the fourth-highest total by a MAC player this year as she brought her career total to 55, four more than the previous school record. She was a big factor in the defense, limiting teams to 161 shots (32 fewer than last year) and 428 shots (62 fewer) as the Eagles held half of the teams faced (8-of-16) to single-digit goals, including three MAC teams that were limited to four or fewer as Eastern won 10 games for the first time in program history.
2026 Medal of Excellence Award Winners
Akron
Bowen Hardman, Men's Basketball, Sport Coaching & Athletics Leadership
Katie Baumer, Women's Lacrosse, Media Studies
Ball State
Jacks Lancaster, Men's Tennis, Finance
Payton Kelly, Women's Swimming & Diving, Exercise Science
Bowling Green
Blane Cleaver, Football, MBA
Jenna Lucas, Women's Track & Field, Systems Engineering
Buffalo
Noah Batchelor, Men's Basketball, Communication
Sarah Woods, Women's Soccer, Health & Human Services
Central Michigan
Dakota Cochran, Football, Sport Management
Luciana Alvarado-Reid, Gymnastics, English, Language & Writing Major
Eastern Michigan
Michael Pfeiffer, Baseball, Sport Management
Annika Wozney, Women's Lacrosse, Biology // Minor Psychology
Kent State
Mattheus Carroll, Football, MBA/BA Communication Studies
Zayda Crumpton, Women's Lacrosse, Exercise Science
Massachusetts
Godot Gaskins, Men's Track & Field, Masters of Finance
Myrte van Herwijnen, Field Hockey, Hospitality & Tourism Management // Psychology
Miami
Carson Byers, Baseball, Human Capital Management & Leadership
Riley Mazzalupi, Field Hockey, Bachelor's and Master's in Business Analytics
Northern Illinois
Blake West, Wrestling, Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Biology
Kiera O'Shea, Gymnastics, Nursing
Ohio
Jackson Paveletzke, Men's Basketball, Sports Management and Marketing
Casadie DiBetta, Women's Swimming & Diving, Early Childhood Elementary Education & Coaching Education
Toledo
Troy Sudbrook, Baseball, Bachelors of Business Admin. - Dual Major in Finance and Operations & Supply Chain Management
Eliana Enriquez, Softball, Bachelors of Business Admin. - Management
Western Michigan
Blake Bosma, Football, Food Marketing
Mabinty Nkebe, Women's Track & Field, Mindfulness and Centering Skills (Grad. Program)
The Medal of Excellence is presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each of the 13 Conference member institutions.
To receive the Medal of Excellence Award, student-athletes must have participated at the varsity level in a Conference-sponsored sport, maintained a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA, and demonstrated excellence in athletics, leadership, and service. Honorees are selected by their respective institutions.
A recent EMU graduate, Pfeiffer (Brownsboro, Ala./Huntsville/Northwest-Shoals C.C.) graduated with a bachelor's degree in sport management in the spring. On the diamond, he transitioned to a starter role after coming out of the bullpen in 2025. The right-handed arm started nine games in 2026, tossing 38.0 innings, the third-most on the squad. Pfeiffer excelled in his last four outings of the season, tossing a combined 6.2 innings while allowing just one earned run. The stretch was highlighted by a scoreless three-inning appearance at Michigan State, May 12.
A standout on the lacrosse field, Wozney (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) earned her second career honor from the conference as she was named All-MAC Second Team one year after earning a spot on the first team for her defensive play. This year, Wozney tied for the team lead with 20 caused turnovers and added 11 ground balls as she started and played all 16 games, making her one of only two players in program history to start and play in all 65 contests. She recorded five caused turnovers against Robert Morris, April 18, which was tied for the fourth-highest total by a MAC player this year as she brought her career total to 55, four more than the previous school record. She was a big factor in the defense, limiting teams to 161 shots (32 fewer than last year) and 428 shots (62 fewer) as the Eagles held half of the teams faced (8-of-16) to single-digit goals, including three MAC teams that were limited to four or fewer as Eastern won 10 games for the first time in program history.
2026 Medal of Excellence Award Winners
Akron
Bowen Hardman, Men's Basketball, Sport Coaching & Athletics Leadership
Katie Baumer, Women's Lacrosse, Media Studies
Ball State
Jacks Lancaster, Men's Tennis, Finance
Payton Kelly, Women's Swimming & Diving, Exercise Science
Bowling Green
Blane Cleaver, Football, MBA
Jenna Lucas, Women's Track & Field, Systems Engineering
Buffalo
Noah Batchelor, Men's Basketball, Communication
Sarah Woods, Women's Soccer, Health & Human Services
Central Michigan
Dakota Cochran, Football, Sport Management
Luciana Alvarado-Reid, Gymnastics, English, Language & Writing Major
Eastern Michigan
Michael Pfeiffer, Baseball, Sport Management
Annika Wozney, Women's Lacrosse, Biology // Minor Psychology
Kent State
Mattheus Carroll, Football, MBA/BA Communication Studies
Zayda Crumpton, Women's Lacrosse, Exercise Science
Massachusetts
Godot Gaskins, Men's Track & Field, Masters of Finance
Myrte van Herwijnen, Field Hockey, Hospitality & Tourism Management // Psychology
Miami
Carson Byers, Baseball, Human Capital Management & Leadership
Riley Mazzalupi, Field Hockey, Bachelor's and Master's in Business Analytics
Northern Illinois
Blake West, Wrestling, Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Biology
Kiera O'Shea, Gymnastics, Nursing
Ohio
Jackson Paveletzke, Men's Basketball, Sports Management and Marketing
Casadie DiBetta, Women's Swimming & Diving, Early Childhood Elementary Education & Coaching Education
Toledo
Troy Sudbrook, Baseball, Bachelors of Business Admin. - Dual Major in Finance and Operations & Supply Chain Management
Eliana Enriquez, Softball, Bachelors of Business Admin. - Management
Western Michigan
Blake Bosma, Football, Food Marketing
Mabinty Nkebe, Women's Track & Field, Mindfulness and Centering Skills (Grad. Program)
Players Mentioned
RHP
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