As the curtain closes on 2025, Columbus State Athletics can look back on a year defined by growth, achievement, and historic success. From championship moments to national acclaim, the Cougars continued to raise the standard. Here are the top 10 stories that captured the heart of Cougar Nation this year.
10. Cougars Celebrate 14 All-American Honors
Columbus State celebrated a banner year as 12 student-athletes earned prestigious All-America recognition across six sports (14 total All-American honors), highlighting the program's depth and dominance.
Tennis led the charge with Nikoline Gullacksen earning ITA All-America honors in singles and doubles alongside Mariana Ramirez, while Andrea Sandrone and Elias Peter ranked among the nation's elite men's doubles teams.
On the hardwood, Jarrett Adderton capped a stellar senior season as an NABC Division II All-American, adding Peach Belt and Southeast Region Player of the Year accolades to his résumé.
Golf continued the success story with Martin Gruendemann earning PING All-America Honorable Mention, while women's golf placed four standouts Samantha Dewendt Morales, Andrea Peraza, Laura DeLaubert, and Sydney Himes on the WGCA All-American Scholar Team.
Women's Soccer added to the honors with Sarah Hungerford earning United Soccer Coaches All-America Honors. Additionally, Hungerford (First Team) and Kelsey Croft (Second Team) were named United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Americans.
9. Madison McDonald Makes History with Prestigious Gold Glove Award
Madison McDonald became the first player in Columbus State softball history to earn the NCAA Division II Rawlings Gold Glove Award. The Rawlings Gold Glove Award is given to the top defender at each position across all of Division II.
A native of Lanett, Ala., McDonald appeared in 46 games with 43 starts at shortstop for the Lady Cougars during the 2025 season, marking a .973 fielding percentage with 57 putouts and 88 assists. The senior completed her second season with Columbus State softball program and has posted a .943 career fielding percentage with 124 putouts and 158 assists since transferring in for the 2024 season. At the plate, she batted .241 while slugging .407, recording 26 hits, 14 runs, four doubles, four triples, two homers, and 13 RBIs.
8. Williams Earns Elite National Honor, Selected Among NCAA's Top 30
In 2025, Columbus State standout, Avery Williams became one of the most decorated Women's Soccer players in program history. Williams was named one of the Top 30 honorees for the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, placing her among the nation's premier graduating student-athletes. Selected from a record 631 nominees nationwide, Williams was recognized for her excellence in academics, athletics, leadership, and community service.
A senior from St. Augustine, Fla., Williams ended her Cougar career as the 2025 Peach Belt Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, a United Soccer Coaches All-American, and the recipient of the prestigious NCAA Elite 90 Award. Off the field, she logged over 500 hours in CSU's Servant Leadership Program, served on SAAC, volunteered with TOPSoccer, and worked in a local hospital's mother/baby unit.
From overcoming multiple ACL injuries to excelling in the classroom and community, Williams set the standard for what it means to be a Columbus State student-athlete.
7. Track & Field Captures Multiple PBC Individual Titles
Columbus State men's track and field turned in a strong showing at Peach Belt Conference Championships in Daytona Beach.
Across the two-day championship, The Cougars picked up gold medals from Brandon Dodd (Long Jump), Cristian Sumo (Pole Vault), Joshua Dare (Discus & Outstanding Field Athlete), Tereil Mitchum (Shot Put), Dante Walls (400 Hurdles), Sarah Arnold (Pole Vault) and Nakhia Montgomery (100m & 200m).
One day one, Dodd claimed the men's long jump with a leap of 7.39 meters and made the NCAA DII provisional standard by .07 meters. Sumo added another individual title for the Cougars by clearing 4.70 meters in the pole vault, leading a dominant showing in the event. On the women's side, Arnold delivered the Lady Cougars' first event victory of the meet, clearing 3.05 meters to capture the pole vault title.
On day two, the Cougars picked up five more gold medals, led by Dare, who won the discus with a throw of 49.07 meters and was named the Outstanding Field Athlete. Mitchum claimed first in the shot put, while Walls took gold in the 400-meter hurdles. Montgomery swept the women's sprints, winning the 100 meters (11.91) and the 200 meters (24.18), with her 200-time meeting the NCAA Division II qualifying standard and qualifying her for the NCAA Championships.
6. Men's Golf Advances to NCAA National Championship
Columbus State men's golf capped an impressive season with a strong showing at the NCAA Division II National Championship at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The Cougars finished 11th overall in the National Championship Tournament, three spots shy of advancing to medal match play after posting a three-round total of 19-over.
Pate Stansell led the way with a T-26 finish at two-over, while Bernard Meyer and Martin Gruendemann tied for 34th at three-over, highlighted by Gruendemann's even-par 72, the team's best final round. Russell Makepeace added an eagle on the par-5 third en route to a T-67 finish, and Will Coffman stepped in to complete the lineup.
The squad finished the year with some accolades, as Martin Gruendemann and Bryant Vail were named to the 19-man Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Southeast All-Region Team. Additionally, he PING All-American Honorable Mention team and was named Second-Team All-Conference.
Columbus State's performance on one of golf's biggest stages underscores the program's competitiveness at the national level finishing the year ranked 14th in the nation, after being ranked as high as 9th during the season.
5. A New Era Begins: Justin Hay Takes Over as CSU's Next Athletic Director
After two years of interim leadership for the department,
Justin Hay was named the Columbus State's Director of Athletics on April 14. Hay joined the Cougars from Lenoir-Rhyne University, where he served six years, most recently as the Deputy AD for External Relations. Hay's focus in year one is on improved student-athlete experience, community involvement, and game-day experience built upon the already successful CSU brand.
4. CSU Soccer Claims Third Straight Peach Belt Title and Earns NCAA Bid
The Columbus State University Women's Soccer team added another trophy to the case, knocking off North Georgia Nighthawks 1–0 on the road to claim its third straight Peach Belt Tournament title.
Senior goalkeeper Heidi Harris was named tournament MVP following her dominant performance, while Kendall Coreil, Anna LaBarbera and Mia Robinson were named to the All-Tournament Team.
The squad claimed two individual postseason awards, while totaling seven All-Conference nods. Senior forward Sarah Hungerford headlined the honors, being named both the 2025 Peach Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year and recipient of the league's Select Gold Ball Award, which is awarded to the player with the most goals in conference play. Abigail Akerson was recognized with the Peach Belt Elite 18 Award, which is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average at the respective sports championship.
In addition to the individual awards, Columbus State landed three players on the First Team All-Conference list – Sarah Hungerford (Kelsey Croft and Sophia Leal. Four additional Cougars were named to the PBC All-Conference Second Team: Mia Robinson, Michelle Medina, Skye Tumbelty and Avery Williams.
More accolades rolled in after the season, with Hungerford being named a United Soccer Coaches All-American and a Scholar All-American. Kelsey Croft joined her on the list, as she was also named a USC Scholar All-American. Hungerford and Croft were also named to the USC All-Region list, joined by Mia Robinson and Sophia Leal.
Additionally, the team was awarded the Women's Soccer Sportsmanship Award.
3. Columbus State Tennis Continues Postseason Tradition
Columbus State women's tennis wrapped up a strong spring with a share of the Peach Belt Conference regular-season title, and a postseason run where the Cougars advanced to the
Second Round of the Southeast Regional. The postseason appearance was CSU's s fifth-consecutive and 28th overall NCAA Tournament Appearance.
The Lady Cougars finished 5-1 in Peach Belt play and 13-5 overall, sharing the 2024-25 regular-season crown with North Georgia Nighthawks and Flagler Saints after all three teams split matches.
The Lady Cougars pick up a handful of postseason honors, Nikoline Gullacksen and Mariana Ramirez led the way, picking up First Team All-PBC honors while also pairing up for First Team All-PBC in doubles. As for Second Team honors, the pairing of Isadora Oliveira and Laura Pesickova earned Second Team All-PBC in doubles.
Additionally, Gullacksen was named the 2025 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II Southeast Region Most Improved Player, while also being named an ITA Singles All-American and a Doubles All-American with partner Ramirez.
As a team, the Lady Cougars were named an All-Academic Team. Individually, Annie Adams, Sofia Lauretti, Laura Pesickova, Nikoline Gullacksen, Mariana Ramirez, Majra Djokic, Maria Markosov, and Isadora Oliveira were named ITA Women's Scholar-Athletes.
Columbus State University Men's Tennis made another deep NCAA run, battling the Grand Valley State Lakers in the Division II Round of 16. Their NCAA appearance marked 17 straight for the men's squad (2008-present).
The Cougars jumped out early by winning the doubles point, but Grand Valley State flipped the momentum in singles play to pull out the win. Columbus State fought through several tight matches, with multiple courts still playing when the decision was clinched.
Columbus State closed the season at 13-11 and records its fifth straight trip to the NCAA Round of 16, continuing one of the most consistent post-season runs in program history.
Following a strong season, the squad picked up some accolades, starting with PBC Honors, as Samer Al Tori and Camilo Cano, captured First Team individual nods while Andrea Sandrone and Elias Peter were named First Team All-PBC honorees in doubles play. Sandrone and Peter were also named ITA Doubles All-Americans.
2. Girls in the Game Raising over 1.3 million
Columbus State Athletics celebrated a major milestone at the 10th annual Girls in the Game luncheon, announcing the program has now surpassed $1.3 million raised for academic scholarships supporting female student-athletes.
Since launching in 2015, Girls in the Game has helped empower women across CSU's NCAA Division II programs, recognizing one student-athlete from each team each year and providing scholarship support that now ranges from annual awards to fully endowed scholarships. Beginning in 2026, the program will award 22 named endowed scholarships, along with eight additional scholarships focused on recruiting and retention.
"As a former CSU student-athlete, continuing the legacy of Girls in the Game is incredibly special," said Kristin Culpepper, who has played a key role in the program's growth.
Athletics Director Justin Hay added that the scholarships go beyond financial support, calling them "a lasting investment in women's athletics and leadership."
This year's celebration featured a keynote address from three-time Olympic medalist DeeDee Trotter, along with a "Train with an Olympian" clinic at Walden Soccer Complex.
After a decade, Girls in the Game continues to make a lasting impact on campus, in competition, and well beyond Columbus State.
1. Cougar Hoops Make History: No. 1 Regional Ranking, PBC Regular-Season Title, Regional Host as Moore Earns Coach of the Year
Head Coach Robert Moore guided Columbus State men's basketball to one of its most successful seasons ever, earning the Herbert Greene Coach of the Year honors in the Peach Belt Conference and Co-Coach of the year in for the Southeast Region. In 2025, the Cougars soared to their highest NABC ranking in program history No. 6 nationally and posted a 27-5 record, the most wins since 2002-03.
The team captured its seventh Peach Belt Conference title and first outright regular-season championship in two decades, while also securing its first NCAA tournament victory since 2006. As the top seed in the Southeast Region, Columbus State hosted the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Regional for the first time in 22 years, bringing seven games to the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center.
This historic run marked the program's 14th NCAA tournament appearance and showcased Cougar Hoops as a true national contender.
