Ten outstanding varsity student-athletes at the University of Rochester have been selected as recipients of the 2026 Lysle 'Spike' Garnish Scholar-Athlete awards.
 
Individuals were selected by the Garnish Committee following nominations by their respective coaches and will be honored on campus at halftime of the Rochester-Case Western Reserve football game on September 4.
 
Presentations will be made by John Blackshear, Vice President for Student Life and George VanderZwaag, Executive Director of Athletics at the University.
 
The awards are named in memory of Lysle "Spike" Garnish, a former coach and athletic trainer at the University of Rochester from 1930 to 1948. He became a trainer and assistant basketball coach in 1931. He was named an assistant baseball coach in 1932, and an assistant football coach from 1945-48.
 
Winners are selected based on their excellence in athletics and academic achievement throughout their first three years on the River Campus. The individual Garnish Scholar-Athlete awards were first selected back in 1986.
 
"These students represent the ideal of the scholar-athlete," said VanderZwaag. "They lead our teams on the field of play while doing outstanding work in the classroom. I am continually inspired by what our students are able to achieve when given the opportunities at a great institution like Rochester."
 
Below is a list of the 2026 Garnish Scholars, with each student-athlete having a separate link to an individualized Q&A article discussing their athletics and other individual experiences thus far during their Rochester careers.
Nate Attwell – Men's Swimming & Diving (Q&A)
Sammy Besztery – Baseball (Q&A)
Nora Chen – Women's Track & Field (Q&A)
Braydon Felsinger – Football (Q&A)
Grayson Honig – Field Hockey (Q&A)
Julianna Lyons – Softball (Q&A)
Tia Poulakidas – Women's Basketball (Q&A)
Ethan Samora – Men's Tennis (Q&A)
Daniel Steinacher – Men's Soccer (Q&A)
Jenna Ufberg – Lacrosse (Q&A)