Department Honors Top Academic Athletes at Annual Celebration

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – In its 12th year celebrating academic and athletic achievement on Reading Day, the Carnegie Mellon Department of Athletics welcomed faculty and staff to the annual Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Celebration on Wednesday, December 10. The event honored 34 of the highest-achieving juniors and seniors across all colleges and athletics teams.

This year’s honorees carry a cumulative average grade-point average of 3.85 and 11 hold a perfect 4.0. The student-athletes honored were joined by their professors and academic advisors.

Director of Athletics Josh Centor opened the program and noted that student-athletes make the Carnegie Mellon community stronger by their academic performance, athletic commitment and impact on others.

“And I’ll tell you honestly: as each year goes by, I become more convinced that what we do here is truly what intercollegiate athletics was intended to look like,” said Centor. “Committed scholars who care deeply about their athletic pursuits — and who add a dimension of depth, spirit, and diversity to a great institution. You don’t just participate at Carnegie Mellon. You elevate Carnegie Mellon.”

Centor spoke about the recent successes in the fields of competition, with the Tartan programs achieving new heights year after year. But he clearly wanted to celebrate more.

“And I want to pause on something else that deserves to be said out loud. What you do is remarkable. You take exams on the road. You miss classes for competition and then work twice as hard to catch back up. You prioritize academics and athletics above other interests and priorities, again and again, because you are committed to being excellent in both arenas. Please know this: you are seen. You are appreciated. And you are so deeply respected for the discipline, sacrifice, and drive it takes to live this life the way you do.”

Provost Jim Garrett praised the honorees for their ability to balance an athletics schedule with a rigorous education and a commitment to service to their community.

"This year the collective achievement of our teams has been truly exceptional," said Garrett. "The reason we are gathered here is to shine the spotlight on this group that has achieved exceptional academic performance. You just didn't just meet the high bar of CMU academics, but you excelled while representing this university on a national stage.”

Senior women’s basketball athlete Ava Arias and senior men’s tennis athlete Akshay Joshi represented the students.

Arias recounted her thoughts four years ago when deciding whether she wanted to be a scholar or a scholar-athlete and how CMU athletics gave her and every student honored today the opportunity to be the latter.

“CMU gave us the opportunity to both express our athletic self while pursuing the rigor of an elite education at what I believe to be one of the best universities in the world,” said Arias.

“Everyone in the athletic community views athletics as an expression of themselves, their artistic expression,” continued Arias. “CMU allows us to share and celebrate this piece of who we are every day. We all have the privilege to practice our art with other individuals who have the same aspirations. We come together because of our like-mindedness and support each other in our athletic and academic endeavours.”

Akshay took the opportunity to speak on the power of community and express his gratitude to the professors in the room who challenge, but also support, the student-athletes daily.

“This incredible community has taught me the meaning of dedication, sacrifice, resilience, and teamwork,” said Joshi. “Carnegie Mellon athletics is an incredibly unique environment; it’s brutally tough, with expectations that push us to our limit. I’ve struggled with that balance many times, and it was this community that helped me get through it. I would not be here today without the unwavering support of my professors, coaches, and teammates.”

“To Professor Askak and the rest of the faculty here. It’s no secret that you all give us a hard time, but you also give us the support we need to succeed. Your flexibility and commitment to our growth make it possible for us to compete at a high level while excelling in the classroom.”

Joshi closed his remarks with uplifting words.

“As we look ahead, I hope we continue to carry the belief that excellence is not an accident – it’s a habit we build together. To my peers, I hope you continue to cherish every memory and accomplishment, because they matter more than you will realize in the moment.”

Arias is a social and political history major while Joshi is a mechanical engineering student.

This year’s honorees include the following student-athletes:

College of Fine Arts:
Hazel Buonopane - Junior - Women’s Track and Field
Christian Duckworth – Senior – Men’s Track and Field 

College of Engineering:
Nicolo Fasanelli - Junior - Men’s Cross Country/Track and Field
Solomon Glavach - Junior - Men’s Track and Field
Bennett Grace – Senior - Football
Akshay Joshi – Senior – Men’s Tennis
Aliana Patel - Junior - Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field
Brendan Schonwetter - Senior - Men’s Soccer
Thea Spellmeyer - Junior - Women’s Soccer
Eliana Szabo – Senior – Women’s Swimming and Diving
David Zoota – Senior – Men’s Swimming and Diving

Dietrich College:
Ava Arias – Senior – Women’s Basketball
Sara Christie - Junior - Women’s Track and Field
Dominic Hoar-Weiler - Junior - Men’s Soccer
Ainika Hou - Junior - Women’s Tennis
Ryan Podnar – Senior – Men’s Cross Country and Track and Field
Neha Tummala - Junior - Volleyball

Information Systems:
Matthew Cadena – Senior – Men’s Soccer
Pasha Deynega - Junior - Men’s Swimming and Diving
Sai Sankhe - Junior - Women’s Soccer
Savannah Xu – Senior – Women’s Swimming and Diving
Jessica Zheng - Junior - Women’s Swimming and Diving

Mellon College of Science:
Matt Darin - Junior - Football
Mark Martinez - Senior - Men’s Soccer
Lindsey Murai - Junior - Softball
Grace Starr – Senior – Women’s Soccer 

School of Computer Science:
Raghav Jangbahadur - Junior - Men’s Tennis
Max Kulbida – Senior – Men’s Swimming and Diving

Tepper School of Business:
Maya Bala - Junior - Softball
Buckley DeJardin – Senior – Men’s Basketball
Nikita Jadhav - Junior - Women’s Golf
Justin Luan - Junior - Men’s Golf
Joey Orlando - Junior - Football
Elizabeth Schlemmer – Senior – Volleyball