DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Athletics Celebrates 2026 Billys
5/22/2026 11:31:00 AM | CROSS COUNTRY, ATHLETICS, MEN'S BASKETBALL, MEN'S GOLF, MEN'S SOCCER, MEN'S TENNIS, SOFTBALL, TRACK AND FIELD, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, WOMEN'S SOCCER, WOMEN'S TENNIS, WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL, CHEER, DANCE
CHICAGO - DePaul Athletics hosted its annual Billys award ceremony Friday evening inside McGrath-Phillips Arena, celebrating the 2025-26 athletic seasons. Winners were honored for their success in athletics, academics and community service.
The full list of award winners and nominees can be viewed below.
Male Newcomer of the Year - Brandon Maclin, Men's Basketball
Nominees: Alejandro Gandini (Men's Tennis), Isaiah Hopf (Men's Track & Field), Sebastian Medica (Men's Tennis)
Female Newcomer of the Year - Jolie Adams, Softball
Nominees: Sienna Gonzales (Women's Soccer), Katelyn Welsh (Women's Track & Field), Jade Dudley-Epps (Volleyball)
Female Athlete of the Year - Sade Miller, Women's Track & Field
Nominees: Jaiah Hopf (Women's Track & Field), Chelsea Parker (Softball), Sasha Stula (Women's Tennis)
Male Athlete of the Year - Alex Bernstein, Men's Track & Field
Nominees: NJ Benson (Men's Basketball), Alejandro Gandini (Men's Tennis), Dominic Lucchesi (Golf)
Male Freshman of the Year - Christian Ortiz-Velazquez, Men's Track & Field
Nominees: North Chery (Golf), Kruz McClure (Men's Basketball), Nathan Laird (Men's Soccer)
Co-Female Freshman of the Year - Aisha Kazeem, Women's Track & Field and Kendall Timme, Volleyball
Nominees: Brooke Coryer (Dance), Yasemin Pehlivan (Women's Tennis)
Female Iron Demon - Nora Mannion, Volleyball
Nominees: Eveline Reno, Hannah Smith (Women's Tennis),
Male Iron Demon - Billy Gneiser, Golf
Nominees: Alex Bernstein (Men's Track & Field), Nate Kasher (Men's Basketball)
Team of the Year - Women's Track & Field
Nominees: Men's Track & Field, Women's Tennis, Men's Tennis
Doug Bruno Coach of the Year - Dave Dopek, Track & Field
Nominees: Francine Dilay (Cheer), Chris Holtmann (Men's Basketball), Ryan Jamison (Golf)
Individual Moment of the Year - Alex Bernstein, Reaches 70-meter mark in hammer throw
Nominees: Sade Miller sweeps Indoor & Outdoor BIG EAST Sprint Titles, Dominic Lucchesi shoots nine-under par for program record, Sasha Stula earns top-50 singles victory against Northwestern
Team Moment of the Year - Men's Basketball Sweeps Marquette
Nominees: Softball defeats Northwestern for first time since 2019, Women's Soccer beats Purdue for its first Power Five win since 2019, Women's Tennis storms back from 3-0 deficit in BIG EAST Semifinals to punch their ticket to the title match
Blue Demon Staff Award: Eva Cervantes, Athletic Trainer
Rev. John R. Cortelyou Award - Elias Anwar (Men's Tennis), Nadja Moll (Track & Field)
The seniors above distinguished themselves by earning the highest GPAs in their student-athlete graduating class.
Most Outstanding Performers: Each coaching staff annually selects their most outstanding performer.
Men's Basketball: NJ Benson
Women's Basketball: Michelle Ojo
Cheer: Echo O'Leary
Men's Cross Country: Mohamed Abdullahi
Women's Cross Country: Vivian Wyller
Dance: Eva Anderson
Golf: Dominic Lucchesi
Men's Soccer: Ethan Gordon
Women's Soccer: Nahla Dominguez
Softball: Jolie Adams and Chelsea Parker
Men's Tennis: Alejandro Gandini
Women's Tennis: Sasha Stula
Men's Indoor Track & Field: Daniel Fasasi
Women's Indoor Track & Field: Sade Miller
Men's Outdoor Track & Field: Alex Bernstein
Women's Outdoor Track & Field: Sade Miller
Volleyball: Kendall Timme
Father Edward Riley, C.M. and Jean Nordberg Memorial Awards: A crucial piece of the DePaul Athletics annual celebration for more than 30 years, these awards recognize the contributions of top student-athletes whose academic excellence, personal character and leadership best reflect the awards' namesakes.
Men's Basketball: Théo Pierre-Justin
Women's Basketball: Meg Newman
Cheer: Yagmur Akgunlu
Men's Cross Country: Mason Krieg
Women's Cross Country: Isabella Orozco
Dance: Aidan Ores
Golf: Matthew Rastogi
Men's Soccer: Jayden Waski
Women's Soccer: Grace Menser
Softball: Bella Nigey
Men's Tennis: Sven Moser
Women's Tennis: Hannah Smith
Men's Track & Field: Daniel Fasasi
Women's Track & Field: Lauren Pacsi
Volleyball: Amanda Saeger
The full list of award winners and nominees can be viewed below.
Male Newcomer of the Year - Brandon Maclin, Men's Basketball
Nominees: Alejandro Gandini (Men's Tennis), Isaiah Hopf (Men's Track & Field), Sebastian Medica (Men's Tennis)
Female Newcomer of the Year - Jolie Adams, Softball
Nominees: Sienna Gonzales (Women's Soccer), Katelyn Welsh (Women's Track & Field), Jade Dudley-Epps (Volleyball)
Female Athlete of the Year - Sade Miller, Women's Track & Field
Nominees: Jaiah Hopf (Women's Track & Field), Chelsea Parker (Softball), Sasha Stula (Women's Tennis)
Male Athlete of the Year - Alex Bernstein, Men's Track & Field
Nominees: NJ Benson (Men's Basketball), Alejandro Gandini (Men's Tennis), Dominic Lucchesi (Golf)
Male Freshman of the Year - Christian Ortiz-Velazquez, Men's Track & Field
Nominees: North Chery (Golf), Kruz McClure (Men's Basketball), Nathan Laird (Men's Soccer)
Co-Female Freshman of the Year - Aisha Kazeem, Women's Track & Field and Kendall Timme, Volleyball
Nominees: Brooke Coryer (Dance), Yasemin Pehlivan (Women's Tennis)
Female Iron Demon - Nora Mannion, Volleyball
Nominees: Eveline Reno, Hannah Smith (Women's Tennis),
Male Iron Demon - Billy Gneiser, Golf
Nominees: Alex Bernstein (Men's Track & Field), Nate Kasher (Men's Basketball)
Team of the Year - Women's Track & Field
Nominees: Men's Track & Field, Women's Tennis, Men's Tennis
Doug Bruno Coach of the Year - Dave Dopek, Track & Field
Nominees: Francine Dilay (Cheer), Chris Holtmann (Men's Basketball), Ryan Jamison (Golf)
Individual Moment of the Year - Alex Bernstein, Reaches 70-meter mark in hammer throw
Nominees: Sade Miller sweeps Indoor & Outdoor BIG EAST Sprint Titles, Dominic Lucchesi shoots nine-under par for program record, Sasha Stula earns top-50 singles victory against Northwestern
Team Moment of the Year - Men's Basketball Sweeps Marquette
Nominees: Softball defeats Northwestern for first time since 2019, Women's Soccer beats Purdue for its first Power Five win since 2019, Women's Tennis storms back from 3-0 deficit in BIG EAST Semifinals to punch their ticket to the title match
Blue Demon Staff Award: Eva Cervantes, Athletic Trainer
Rev. John R. Cortelyou Award - Elias Anwar (Men's Tennis), Nadja Moll (Track & Field)
The seniors above distinguished themselves by earning the highest GPAs in their student-athlete graduating class.
Most Outstanding Performers: Each coaching staff annually selects their most outstanding performer.
Men's Basketball: NJ Benson
Women's Basketball: Michelle Ojo
Cheer: Echo O'Leary
Men's Cross Country: Mohamed Abdullahi
Women's Cross Country: Vivian Wyller
Dance: Eva Anderson
Golf: Dominic Lucchesi
Men's Soccer: Ethan Gordon
Women's Soccer: Nahla Dominguez
Softball: Jolie Adams and Chelsea Parker
Men's Tennis: Alejandro Gandini
Women's Tennis: Sasha Stula
Men's Indoor Track & Field: Daniel Fasasi
Women's Indoor Track & Field: Sade Miller
Men's Outdoor Track & Field: Alex Bernstein
Women's Outdoor Track & Field: Sade Miller
Volleyball: Kendall Timme
Father Edward Riley, C.M. and Jean Nordberg Memorial Awards: A crucial piece of the DePaul Athletics annual celebration for more than 30 years, these awards recognize the contributions of top student-athletes whose academic excellence, personal character and leadership best reflect the awards' namesakes.
Men's Basketball: Théo Pierre-Justin
Women's Basketball: Meg Newman
Cheer: Yagmur Akgunlu
Men's Cross Country: Mason Krieg
Women's Cross Country: Isabella Orozco
Dance: Aidan Ores
Golf: Matthew Rastogi
Men's Soccer: Jayden Waski
Women's Soccer: Grace Menser
Softball: Bella Nigey
Men's Tennis: Sven Moser
Women's Tennis: Hannah Smith
Men's Track & Field: Daniel Fasasi
Women's Track & Field: Lauren Pacsi
Volleyball: Amanda Saeger
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ TRACK AND FIELD
OF
/ SOFTBALL
/ CHEER
/ DANCE
/ MEN'S TENNIS
F
/ MEN'S BASKETBALL
Throws
/ TRACK AND FIELD
/ MEN'S GOLF
/ DANCE
M
/ WOMEN'S SOCCER
MB
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Sprints
/ TRACK AND FIELD
/ MEN'S TENNIS
/ MEN'S GOLF
F
/ WOMEN'S SOCCER
D
/ MEN'S SOCCER
Jumps
/ TRACK AND FIELD
Jumps
/ TRACK AND FIELD
G
/ MEN'S BASKETBALL
Hurdles
/ TRACK AND FIELD
Distance
/ TRACK AND FIELD
M
/ MEN'S SOCCER
/ MEN'S GOLF
G
/ MEN'S BASKETBALL
L/DS
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
G
/ MEN'S BASKETBALL
/ MEN'S TENNIS
D/M
/ WOMEN'S SOCCER
Sprints
/ TRACK AND FIELD
Sprints
/ TRACK AND FIELD
/ MEN'S TENNIS
F
/ WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
/ SOFTBALL
/ CHEER
F
/ WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
/ DANCE
Mid Distance
/ TRACK AND FIELD
Sprints
/ TRACK AND FIELD
Mid Distance
/ TRACK AND FIELD
/ SOFTBALL
/ WOMEN'S TENNIS
F
/ MEN'S BASKETBALL
/ MEN'S GOLF
Jumps
/ TRACK AND FIELD
S
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
/ WOMEN'S TENNIS
/ WOMEN'S TENNIS
OH
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
F
/ MEN'S SOCCER
Pole Vault
/ TRACK AND FIELD
Distance
/ TRACK AND FIELDEpisode 29: Kacy & Jenna
Thursday, November 13
Blue Demon Room Podcast Episode 17: Rachel Wilhelm and Noreen Vlamakis, Rush Physical Therapy
Wednesday, March 19
Episode 11: DeWayne Peevy, Vice President/Director of Athletics
Wednesday, December 18
Blue Demon Breakdown - Oct. 16
Wednesday, October 16