Syracuse, NY - The Onondaga Community College Athletic Department concluded the 2025-26 academic year with the annual Athletics Banquet. Teams and individuals were recognized for their academic and athletic successes throughout the year. The department officially inducted the five individuals of the OCC Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

Highest Team GPA

The Highest Team G.P.A. is presented to one men's and one women's team for achieving the highest grade point average during the Fall 2025 semester.

The men's recipient for highest team GPA was the Baseball team. The women's recipient was Women's Basketball.

Scholar Athlete of the Year

The Scholar Athlete award is presented to one male and one female student athlete with the highest G.P.A. during the Fall 2025 semester.

The 2026 Male Scholar-Athlete is Baseball's Ryan Campbell for the second consecutive year. The 2026 Female Scholar-Athlete is Volleyball's Grace Plewak.

Rookie of the Year

Presented to the top-performing male and female student athlete in his or her first season.

The 2026 Male Rookie is Men's Basketball's Garang Garang. Garang was named MSAC Honorable Mention for the 25-26 season averaging 10.4 points per game. He tallied an 81.5% freethrow percentage, 5th in Region 3. The 2026 Female Rookie of the Year is Women's Soccer's Adalynn Olmstead. Olmstead was named All-Conference and First Team All-Region for the 2025 season. She led the team in goals scored with 13, 5th in Region 3. She also led her team in total points with 30, 7th in Region 3.

OCC Salute

This award recognizes individuals who enable student athletes to reach their full potential.

The 2026 OCC Salute award recipient is the OCC Counseling and Community Care Hub staff consisting of Jimmy Anderson, Ash Frodelius, Kimber Gadaleta, Alexandra Halstead, Sarah Magowan, Laura Scott, and Erika Sheets. The group has provided resources and support regarding mental health for OCC student-athletes. The Community Care Hub is a resource for many non-academic barriers for success, including hunger, transportation, providing clothing and general support. The group is also behind many trainings throughout the year. 

Volunteer of the Year

This award is presented to a student, faculty, staff member or volunteer for their commitment and dedication to the Lazers Athletic Program.

The 2026 Volunteer of the Year recipient is the 2026 Baseball Team. OCC hosted the New York State Collegiate Wrestling Championship this past fall in the SRC Arena with over 20 colleges competing in a 13-hour day. There were a combined total of nearly 700 individual matches. The event grew in size rapidly and took place because of the help of the Baseball team. Nearly everyone on the team volunteered their time to keep score, assist with officials or many of the other countless matches, thanks to the organization and effort of head coach, Bob Piraino and assistant coach, Ben Przepiora. The event would not have been able to take place without the baseball team helping out another team, and the department.

Outstanding Athletes of the Year

The Outstanding Athlete of the Year is presented to one male and one female in recognition of their excellence on the court or field. Each coach nominates the top athlete from the roster in consideration of the one winner that is chosen by the selection committee.

The Male Outstanding Athlete of the Year was awarded to Men's Wrestling's Charlie Foster. Charlie is the 2026 NJCAA National Champion for the 174lb weight class where he went undefeated in the national tournament after earning the number 2 seed. He defeated NJCAA Division I and II athletes in that process on the way to his national title. He is OCC's first wrestling national champion in history. He also earned All-American status and is considering several scholarship offers to continue wrestling at the next level. The Female Outstanding Athlete of the Year is Women's Basketball's Jada Crocker having earned Honorable Mention All-American, MSAC Player of the Year, First Team All-Region, and a spot on the NJCAA All-Tournament Team. She tallied 7 season double-doubles, averaged 14.6 points per game, a 57.1% field goal percentage (4th in all of NJCAA Division III), and an average 8.6 rebounds per game.

Comeback Award

The recipients must have competed on a team this year and recovered from an injury to make a significant impact during the season or make a significant turnaround in their lives.

The 2026 Male Comeback award recipient is Men's Lacrosse's Davin Bomberry. Davin suffered 2 different ACL tears to the same knee, had surgery, and made a full recovery. His dedication to rehab and his off-season work led to a Region 3 Player of the Year status, week one NJCAA Lacrosse Player of the Week, and leads several OCC and NJCAA stat categories. The 2026 Female Comeback award recipient is Women's Soccer's Jasmine Martin. Jasmine also overcame 2 ACL tears in the same knee. She was a solid presence in every game and a leader for the program on and off the field earning All-MSAC honors and scored 5 goals and had 2 assists as a defender.

Lazer All-Star Award

The Lazer All-Star Award is given to a student athlete who has shown excellence in academic and athletic pursuits, and service to the community and others. Students must be in good academic standing, a current member of a team and active in leadership roles on campus.

The 2026 Lazer All-Star Award recipient is Women's Basketball's Na'Deja Newkirk. Na'Deja was featured on the Fall 2025 Provost's list. She is a positive and caring student who is often cheering on and supporting her teammates however she can. She is also a work study student for the Athletic Department and worked beyond her allotted Federal Work Study funds, volunteering her help working the Men's Lacrosse Region 3 Championship outside in 40 degrees and rain out of the goodness of her heart.

The department officially inducted the five individuals of the OCC Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026, consisting of Chuck Wilbur, Sid Smith, Cody Jamieson, Mike Wheeler, and Brittany Cohen. The ceremony was the first to take place since 2011.

You can keep up with all OCC Athletics by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @OnondagaLazers.