CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced Thursday (May 21) morning the 26 award winners for this year’s Medal of Excellence. For Bowling Green State University, football’s Blane Cleaver and track and field’s Jenna Lucas are this year’s honorees. Cleaver, Lucas and the other 24 award winners will be presented with the Medal of Excellence Award during the 2026 Honors Dinner Ceremony at the Cleveland Hotel as part of the MAC Spring Meetings on May 29. 

The Medal of Excellence is presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each of the 13 Conference member institutions. To receive the Medal of Excellence Award, student-athletes must have participated at the varsity level in a Conference-sponsored sport, maintained a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA, and demonstrated excellence in athletics, leadership, and service. Honorees are selected by their respective institutions. 

A native of Berwick, Pa., Cleaver has become a leader for the Falcons not only in the locker room, but in the classroom. Currently pursuing his MBA while maintaining a 3.68 GPA, Cleaver was recently the representative of BGSU Football during the athletic department’s One Day of Giving campaign center around building student-athletes for life after sports. In the community, he’s been active helping coaching summer camps, volunteering with the Special Olympics and BGSU Football’s Holiday’s with the Falcons along with a multitude of other volunteering ventures. As for the football field, Cleaver has been a key piece of the Falcon offense, playing in 24 of 25 possible games since joining Bowling Green, playing the role of “imposer” in the run game with his tenacious and hard-nosed blocking.

Coming to the Falcons from Pataskala, Ohio, Lucas has done a little bit of everything for the Orange and Brown, both athletically and academically. While working towards a degree in Systems Engineering, Lucas has maintained a 3.97 GPA, earning Academic All-MAC and USTFCCA All-Academic honors. She is a four-year member of the BGSU XCTF leadership committee and a three-year leader of BGSU Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Lucas has spent time volunteering with the Bowling Green High School and Middle School FCA and for three years has coordinated Christmas card giving to Heritage Corner among a long list of other volunteer activities. Lucas recently competed in the heptathlon for Bowling Green at the MAC Championships, including a first place finish in the shot put among the heptathlon participants. Lucas competed in the heptathlon during each of her four seasons with the Falcons. 

2026 Medal of Excellence Award Winners
Akron
​Bowen Hardman, Men’s Basketball, Sport Coaching & Athletics Leadership
Katie Baumer, Women’s Lacrosse, Media Studies

Ball State
Jacks Lancaster, Men’s Tennis,  Finance
Payton Kelly, Women’s Swimming & Diving, Exercise Science

Bowling Green
Blane Cleaver, Football, MBA
Jenna Lucas, Women’s Track & Field, Systems Engineering

Buffalo
Noah Batchelor, Men’s Basketball, Communication
Sarah Woods, Women’s Soccer, Health & Human Services

Central Michigan
Dakota Cochran, Football, Sport Management
Luciana Alvarado-Reid, Gymnastics, English, Language & Writing Major

Eastern Michigan
Michael Pfeiffer, Baseball, Sport Management
Annika Wozney, Women’s Lacrosse, Biology // Minor Psychology

Kent State
Mattheus Carroll, Football, MBA/BA Communication Studies
Zayda Crumpton, Women’s Lacrosse, Exercise Science

Massachusetts
Godot Gaskins, Men’s Track & Field, Masters of Finance
Myrte van Herwijnen, Field Hockey, Hospitality & Tourism Management // Psychology

Miami (OH)
Carson Byers, Baseball, Human Capital Management & Leadership
Riley Mazzalupi, Field Hockey, Bachelor’s and Master’s in Business Analytics

Northern Illinois
Blake West, Wrestling, Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Biology
Kiera O’Shea, Gymnastics, Nursing

Ohio 
Jackson Paveletzke, Men’s Basketball, Sports Management and Marketing
Casadie DiBetta, Women’s Swimming & Diving, Early Childhood Elementary Education & Coaching Education

Toledo
Troy Sudbrook, Baseball, Bachelors of Business Admin. – Dual Major in Finance and Operations & Supply Chain Management
Eliana Enriquez, Softball, Bachelors of Business Admin. – Management

Western Michigan
Blake Bosma, Football, Food Marketing
Mabinty Nkebe, Women’s Track & Field, Mindfulness and Centering Skills (Grad. Program)

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