University Southern California Trojans
95 USC Student-Athletes Receive Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award
July 13, 2026 | Baseball, Football, USC Athletics, Men's Basketball, Men's Swimming & Diving, Men's Tennis, Men's Volleyball, Men's Water Polo, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Lacrosse, Women's Rowing, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming & Diving, Women's Tennis, Women's Volleyball, Women's Water Polo, Women's Beach Volleyball, Swim & Dive
USC rowing led all Trojan programs with 17 student-athletes chosen for the Big Distinguished Scholar Award
ROSEMONT, Ill. – 95 USC student-athletes were among a group of 1,912 on varsity rosters selected for the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award, the Big Ten Conference announced Monday, July 13.
The complete list includes students from all 18 institutions, plus Johns Hopkins and Notre Dame, and 41 sports who have recorded a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year. The 2025-26 class of Distinguished Scholar Award Recipients includes 344 students who maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA during the academic year.
Big Ten Faculty Representatives established the Distinguished Scholar Award in 2008 to supplement the Academic All-Big Ten program. Distinguished Scholar Award recipients must have earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition in the previous academic year, must have been enrolled full time at the institution for the entire previous academic year (two semesters or three quarters) and earned a minimum GPA of 3.70 or better during the previous academic year, excluding any summer grades. The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for a student's academic career.
USC Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award selections:
BASEBALL (3)
John Basseer
Brock Slaton
Asher Whitehead
MEN'S BASKETBALL (3)
Jaden Brownell
Emmett Neal
Terrance Williams
BEACH VOLLEYBALL (5)
Ava Brizard
Madison Goellner
Kerry Keefe
Ashley Pater
Calla Tufto
FOOTBALL (5)
Nicholas De Fina
Roman Marchetti
Braylan Shelby
Brandon Shepherd
Seth Zamora
MEN'S TRACK & FIELD (4)
Ethan Exilhomme
Luke Metcalf
Alfredo Reina Corona
Vishnu Swaminathan
WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD / CROSS COUNTRY (6)
Sydney Knodel
Lucia Rabolli
Haley Spoden
Paige Unger
Takiya Cenci
Jacqueline Duarte
WOMEN'S GOLF (1)
Elise Lee
WOMEN'S LACROSSE (10)
Hannah Barron
Lillie Bea Cope
Kaylee Fravert
Frankie Garcia
Kate Gerrity
Charlotte Morton
Hollis Mulry
Haley Newton
Maggie Ramsay
Ellie Thomas
WOMEN'S ROWING (17)
Olivia Aceves
Chloe Amling
Roxanne Andras
Annie Clark
Maeve Clifford
Brecken Cullinan
Abigail Diemer
Gerli Endrekson
Francesca Garijo
Louise Gyssels
Julia Karten
Isabella Korellis
Zoe Muhlner
Raquel Rodriguez Pernas
Lucy Schofield
Viktoryia Vasilyeva
Olivia Wilson
WOMEN'S SOCCER (7)
Sophia Cavaliere
Maribel Flores
Faith George
Isabell Grust
Hana Mizumoto
Eleanor Morrissey
Katherine Park
MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (4)
Laurent Gosselin-Paradis
Keller Morgan
Griffin O'Leary
Mortiz Wesemann
WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (11)
Katherine Adams
Caelle Armijo
Ella Flowers
Jenna Jagielski
Daniela Karnaugh
Justina Kozan
Emi Machida
Nicole Maier
Ashley McMillan
Isabella Schneider
Claire Tuggle
MEN'S TENNIS (3)
Andrin Casanova
Connor Church
Jack McCarthy
WOMEN'S TENNIS (2)
Emma Charney
Simone Kay
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL (1)
Ryan Sprague
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL (4)
Allison Hazelwood
Madison Pietsch
Brooklyn Tealer
Megan Verbiest
MEN'S WATER POLO (1)
Spencer Averitt
WOMEN'S WATER POLO (8)
Caitlin Cohen
Madison Haaland-Ford
Margaret Johnson
Meghan McAninch
Morgan Netherton
Sinia Plotz
Anna Reed
Ava Stryker
The complete list includes students from all 18 institutions, plus Johns Hopkins and Notre Dame, and 41 sports who have recorded a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year. The 2025-26 class of Distinguished Scholar Award Recipients includes 344 students who maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA during the academic year.
Big Ten Faculty Representatives established the Distinguished Scholar Award in 2008 to supplement the Academic All-Big Ten program. Distinguished Scholar Award recipients must have earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition in the previous academic year, must have been enrolled full time at the institution for the entire previous academic year (two semesters or three quarters) and earned a minimum GPA of 3.70 or better during the previous academic year, excluding any summer grades. The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for a student's academic career.
USC Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award selections:
BASEBALL (3)
John Basseer
Brock Slaton
Asher Whitehead
MEN'S BASKETBALL (3)
Jaden Brownell
Emmett Neal
Terrance Williams
BEACH VOLLEYBALL (5)
Ava Brizard
Madison Goellner
Kerry Keefe
Ashley Pater
Calla Tufto
FOOTBALL (5)
Nicholas De Fina
Roman Marchetti
Braylan Shelby
Brandon Shepherd
Seth Zamora
MEN'S TRACK & FIELD (4)
Ethan Exilhomme
Luke Metcalf
Alfredo Reina Corona
Vishnu Swaminathan
WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD / CROSS COUNTRY (6)
Sydney Knodel
Lucia Rabolli
Haley Spoden
Paige Unger
Takiya Cenci
Jacqueline Duarte
WOMEN'S GOLF (1)
Elise Lee
WOMEN'S LACROSSE (10)
Hannah Barron
Lillie Bea Cope
Kaylee Fravert
Frankie Garcia
Kate Gerrity
Charlotte Morton
Hollis Mulry
Haley Newton
Maggie Ramsay
Ellie Thomas
WOMEN'S ROWING (17)
Olivia Aceves
Chloe Amling
Roxanne Andras
Annie Clark
Maeve Clifford
Brecken Cullinan
Abigail Diemer
Gerli Endrekson
Francesca Garijo
Louise Gyssels
Julia Karten
Isabella Korellis
Zoe Muhlner
Raquel Rodriguez Pernas
Lucy Schofield
Viktoryia Vasilyeva
Olivia Wilson
WOMEN'S SOCCER (7)
Sophia Cavaliere
Maribel Flores
Faith George
Isabell Grust
Hana Mizumoto
Eleanor Morrissey
Katherine Park
MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (4)
Laurent Gosselin-Paradis
Keller Morgan
Griffin O'Leary
Mortiz Wesemann
WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (11)
Katherine Adams
Caelle Armijo
Ella Flowers
Jenna Jagielski
Daniela Karnaugh
Justina Kozan
Emi Machida
Nicole Maier
Ashley McMillan
Isabella Schneider
Claire Tuggle
MEN'S TENNIS (3)
Andrin Casanova
Connor Church
Jack McCarthy
WOMEN'S TENNIS (2)
Emma Charney
Simone Kay
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL (1)
Ryan Sprague
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL (4)
Allison Hazelwood
Madison Pietsch
Brooklyn Tealer
Megan Verbiest
MEN'S WATER POLO (1)
Spencer Averitt
WOMEN'S WATER POLO (8)
Caitlin Cohen
Madison Haaland-Ford
Margaret Johnson
Meghan McAninch
Morgan Netherton
Sinia Plotz
Anna Reed
Ava Stryker
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Rowing
BREAST/IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
/ Women's Rowing
FREE
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
M
/ Women's Lacrosse
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
F
/ Men's Basketball
/ Men's Tennis
MF
/ Women's Soccer
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
A
/ Women's Lacrosse
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Rowing
F
/ Women's Soccer
IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
A
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's Lacrosse
/ Women's Rowing
F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Lacrosse
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
DIVING
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
/ Women's Rowing
C
/ Women's Water Polo
DIVING
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
BREAST
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Rowing
IM/FLY/FREE
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
/ Women's Golf
DIVING
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
FREE/IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
LB
/ Football
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
/ Men's Tennis
BACK/IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
F
/ Women's Soccer
IM/BREAST
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
MF
/ Women's Soccer
G
/ Women's Lacrosse
/ Women's Rowing
M
/ Women's Lacrosse
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
A
/ Women's Lacrosse
BACK
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
/ Women's Cross Country
A
/ Women's Lacrosse
G
/ Women's Water Polo
/ Women's Rowing
FLY/BACK/IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
/ Women's Rowing
DE
/ Football
S
/ Football
OF
/ Baseball
/ Women's Cross Country
S
/ Men's Volleyball
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
G
/ Women's Lacrosse
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
FREE/IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Rowing
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
/ Women's Rowing
WR
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