May 13, 2026

Asbury Highlights Day One of 2026 Eagle Awards Winners

WILMORE, Ky.---  Asbury Athletics recently hosted the 2026 Asbury Eagle Awards, celebrating a year of serving, training, and competing for the glory of God. AU student-athletes, coaches, staff, faculty, and families gathered in the Shaw CLC Luce Auditorium on Monday night, April 27, to highlight and honor excellence achieved. 

The Asbury Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), led by President Owen Seymour, produced the event as their highlighted project for the 2025-26 year. SAAC is comprised of two leading student-athletes from each of the 16 TeamAU programs, and is committed to serving Asbury student-athletes. 

The event was broadcasted live, and is archived on the Asbury Athletics Youtube Account. 

Special thanks to Fresh Ideas Food Service for providing amazing food during the event. 

Awards will be released on asburyeagles.com and @asburyeagles social media platforms (Instagram, X, Facebook) throughout the week.

Congratulations to day one 2026 Eagle Awards Winners! Asbury Athletics is proud of your commitment in the classroom, on field of competition, and love for others that has led to this honor. Day two of award winners will be announced Thursday, May 14 to complete the 2026 Eagle Awards.

View photos below from the 2026 Eagle Awards

2026 Eagle Awards Day One Winners

Male Athlete of the Year

Ethan Bonow / Men's Swimming / So. / Business Admin.

Stats/Details - Bonow became an NCAA First Team All-American after placing 5th in the 100 butterfly at the NCAA Championships with a time of 47.74 seconds, marking his third career All-American honor.  At the conference level, Ethan captured three Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) individual titles in the 50 and 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly, setting SCAC meet records in both the 50 free and 100 fly.  He was named SCAC Men’s Swimmer of the Meet and SCAC Men’s Swimmer of the Year. His 47.36 seconds in the 100 butterfly at the SCAC Championships set a conference record, while his 20.00 seconds in the 50 freestyle broke both the SCAC and Asbury records. He also set an Asbury Luce Center pool record, four individual school records, and contributed to two record-setting relay teams, highlighting a season defined by excellence at every level. 

Nominees

Andrew Billington | Baseball

Jesse Gassmann | Men's Cross Country & Track and Field

Female Athlete of the Year

Bailey Gassmann / Women's Cross Country and Track & Field / Jr. / Social Work & Adventure Education & Leadership

Stats/Details - Gassmann was named Collegiate Conference of the South Cross Country Runner of the Year after a standout season defined by consistent excellence. She helped lead Asbury to its second consecutive CCS Championship, establishing herself as the top competitor in the conference all season long. Bailey opened the year with a first-place finish at the Eagle Opener in the 2-mile race at a 12 minute 54 second mark, followed by a runner-up finish at the Berea Invitational 6k in 20 minutes. She capped her season with a CCS Championship title, winning the 6K in 23 minutes and 28 seconds. On the national stage, she finished as the NCCAA Championship Runner-Up and earned NCCAA All-American honors, along with First-Team All-Conference recognition. 

Nominees

Katherine Nova | Women's Tennis

Isabelle VandeSchraaf | Volleyball

Abby Moffat | Softball

Emily Sizemore | Women's Basketball

Female Newcomer of the Year

Anna Hellums / Women's Basketball / Fr. / Biology Pre-Med

Stats/Details - Anna made an immediate impact in her freshman season for Asbury women’s basketball, starting 25 games and appearing in 31. She scored 261 points while averaging 8.4 per game, knocking down 40 three-pointers at a 36% clip, while adding 28 blocks and 37 steals. She also excelled in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA as a Biology Pre-Med major, earning both Honor Roll and Dean’s List recognition. 

Nominees

Alexandra Garcia | Women's Tennis

Emma Le Duc | Women's Cross Country & Track and Field

Julia Wright | Volleyball

Elyanna Rogers | Softball

Mallory Taylor | Women's Swimming

Male Newcomer of the Year

Tyson Absher / Men's Soccer / Fr. / Exercise Science

Edison Burke / Baseball / Fr. / Sport Management

Stats/Details - Absher led Asbury men’s soccer in both goals and total points, ranking 5th in the CCS in goals and 7th in points, while earning 2nd Team All-Conference honors and 1st Team NCCAA Mideast Region recognition. Absher was also named CCS Player of the Week and CCS Rookie of the Week. 

Burke delivered a standout season, earning multiple weekly honors and consistently producing for the Asbury offense. He earned CCS Rookie of the Week twice. Edison finished the season hitting .331 with 51 hits— second most on the team—and posted a .464 on-base percentage, both ranking top 15 in the CCS. 

Nominees

Jesse Gassmann | Men's Cross Country & Track and Field

Matthew Wilson | Men's Track and Field

Lual Ayiei | Men's Basketball

Brady Patterson | Men's Golf

Female Comeback Player of the Year

Morgan Flannery / Women's Basketball / Sr. / Psychology

Stats/Details - Morgan suffered an injury that threatened to end her senior season. She fought her way back and made an incredible impact—scoring 103 points while averaging 5.2 points per game, dishing out 51 assists, and adding 36 steals. Flannery also grabbed 49 rebounds, while anchoring the top of the press and half-court defense, creating game-changing deflections and opportunities for her teammates.” 

Nominees

Katelyn Bolin | Softball

Male Comeback Player of the Year

Ignacio Murrillo  / Men's Tennis / Jr. / Media Communications

Stats/Details - Ignacio was forced to sit out last year due to an injury. This season he won the match on April 17 that secured the Collegiate Conference of the South regular season title for the men’s tennis team, while finishing 6-5 on the year in singles. Murillo only lost one match in CCS play this year!

Female Cecil C. Zweifel Award - Initiated in 1996, this award honors Cecil C. Zweifel who developed the major in health, physical education and recreation; was the catalyst for the initiation of the athletic program; holds the record for wins in collegiate soccer in the state of Kentucky; was primarily responsible for the raising of the funds for the Luce Center; and inspired all of us with his witness for Christ. This award is presented annually to student-athletes with a minimum GPA of 3.00 who have made significant contributions to their team.

Abigail Bruner / Volleyball / So. / Exercise Science

Stats/Details -  Abigail has been a driving force for the Asbury volleyball program she helped lead her team to a CCS regular season championship and the program’s first CCS conference championship, earning CCS Tournament MVP, All-Tournament Team, and 2nd Team All-Conference honors. Bruner led all middles with 124 kills and finished as the team leader in blocks with 44. Off the court, she excelled academically with a 4.0 GPA in Exercise Science and served in FCA Character Coaching in Jessamine County, while also volunteering in children’s ministry and helping lead devotionals for a middle school volleyball team.

Nominees

Maggie Perry | Women's Soccer

Brooke O'Carroll | Women's Cross Country & Track and Field

Moira Tinsley | Softball

Morgan Stephenson | Women's Swimming

Men's Cecil C. Zweifel Award - Initiated in 1996, this award honors Cecil C. Zweifel who developed the major in health, physical education and recreation; was the catalyst for the initiation of the athletic program; holds the record for wins in collegiate soccer in the state of Kentucky; was primarily responsible for the raising of the funds for the Luce Center; and inspired all of us with his witness for Christ. This award is presented annually to student-athletes with a minimum GPA of 3.00 who have made significant contributions to their team.

Jonathan Combs / Men's Basketball / Jr. / Finance

Stats/Details - Jonathan has exemplified what it means to be a complete student- athlete at Asbury, excelling in competition, the classroom, and in the community, said head coach Will Shouse.” This season, he averaged 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting 44% from three, earning a spot on the All-CCS Men’s Basketball Team. Combs was also named BGO Athlete of the Week, CSC Academic All-District, Asbury Scholar-Athlete, and made the Asbury Honor Roll. Beyond the court, he is actively involved in local church communities in Nicholasville and Taylorsville, consistently modeling strong character and leadership.

Nominees

Dru Lile | Men's Soccer

Women's Team of the Year

Asbury Volleyball | Head Coach Tiffany Horton

The Asbury volleyball team continued its championship standard this season, capturing the CCS Regular Season title for the second straight year. As the No. 1 seed, they went on to win the CCS Tournament for a berth in the program’s first ever NCAA Tournament, finishing the year with 22 wins, 15–1 in conference play, including a strong 9–2 record at home. The program also excelled in the classroom, posting a 3.56 team GPA. 

Nominees

Women's Cross Country

Men's Team of the Year

Asbury Men's Tennis | Head Coach Jarred Miller

The Asbury men’s tennis program continued its success this season, capturing their second consecutive CCS Regular Season & Conference Championships! The Eagles went a perfect 6–0 in conference play (now 12-0 in two seasons in the CCS). 

Nominees

Men's Cross Country