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University of Rochester Athletics

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER YELLOWJACKETS
Rush Rhees Library tower is 186 feet high. The Hopeman Carillon in the tower is the largest musical instrument in the city and one of the largest in the country. It contains fifty bells which were imported from Holland. Its total weight is 6,668 pounds. The total cost in 1973 was about $27,000. Take a few seconds and hear the carillon from the Rush Rhees tower. The Library contains close to 42 miles of shelving. Floor area is over 350,000 sq.ft. Total seating capacity is about 2070, providing a seat for almost every third student on River Campus. There are hundreds of lockers and carrels available to students, plus 55 private studies available to researchers. Voyager, our online catalog, replaced an older system in January 1997. One large computer, many microcomputers, and computer terminals help in many aspects of library work, including circulation, cataloging, interlibrary loan, and reference, and there are about 100 microcomputers (PC and Macintosh) for student use.
University of Rochester / Brandon Vick
It was another banner year for the 'Jackets in the classroom in 2025-26

Yellowjackets Bestowed with Numerous URochester Academic Honors

5/1/2026 12:00:00 PM

By: Ari Ross, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
With the 2025-26 academic year in its home stretch, several student-athletes from the University of Rochester varsity athletic programs earned academic honors from the University for their excellence in the classroom.
 
12 Yellowjackets were elected Phi Beta Kappa, 10 individuals were named Provost Circle Scholars, and five student-athletes received Suzanne O'Brien Book Awards.
 
Phi Beta Kappa recognition is awarded to seniors and some juniors, based on their exceptional academic performance and a letter of recommendation from a faculty or staff member. New members are elected each spring by members of the Iota chapter at the recommendation of the nominating committee. Approximately ten percent of each graduating class is chosen to Phi Beta Kappa.
 
Seniors Alyssa Gorny (women's lacrosse), Alyssa Horng (women's XC/track & field), Jackson Kane (football), Riya Kunderan (women's soccer), Kennedy Leininger (women's rowing), Paige Lovelace (women's swimming & diving), Morgan Napolitano (women's lacrosse), who was elected as a junior, Zoe Noble (women's track & field), Izzy Stevenson (women's swimming & diving) and Cece Vassallo (women's soccer), and juniors Julianna Lyons (softball) and Ethan Samora (men's tennis) earned Phi Beta Kappa, representing nine different Yellowjacket teams.
 
URochester's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa will induct 125 seniors and 14 juniors this academic year, joining 11 students who were elected last spring as juniors. The initiation ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, May 14, at 11:30 a.m. inside the Strong Auditorium.
 
Junior student-athletes are nominated by the Department of Athletics & Recreation to receive the Provost Circle Scholar award. The honorees have the highest cumulative grade point average among the junior class who are competing with one of the University's 23 varsity intercollegiate athletic teams.
 
Rochester's 2026 Provost Circle Scholars, representing 10 different teams, are: Nate Attwell (men's swimming & diving), Nathan Carpenter-Holmes (baseball), Nora Chen (women's track & field), Emily Dill (women's XC/track & field), Tate Finger (men's track & field), Sydney Holmes (women's soccer), Julianna Lyons (softball), Tia Poulakidas (women's basketball), Ethan Samora (men's tennis) and Gus Smith (men's XC/track & field).
 
Lastly, five sophomore student-athletes earned the Suzanne J. O'Brien Book Award this academic year. Co-sponsored by the Iota Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, this award is presented to individuals for outstanding achievement as first-year students, and is selected based on scholarly achievement, humanistic values, cocurricular activity, and leadership potential.
 
The five sophomores, representing four Yellowjacket teams, are: Deniz Alparslan (women's basketball), Claire Baim (women's soccer), Amelia Hardiman (women's swimming & diving), Sunil Lindsay (baseball), and Brendan Ryan (baseball).