Roanoke College announced its major athletic award winners Thursday at the 2025-26 Senior Student-Athlete Reception, hosted in the Colket Center Ballroom.

Junior Jackson Bell from the men's basketball team and senior Mark Samuel from the wrestling team were named the co-Male Outstanding Athletes of the Year while junior Maddie McDonald from the women's lacrosse team and Ophelia Ladner from the track & field squad both earned the Female Outstanding Athlete of the Year Award.

Marcus Morgan from the men's basketball team earned the Rice Award (recognizing the senior who has contributed significantly to campus life) and Nicholas Cook from the wrestling team was named the Michael Robin Murphy Award winner (recognizing the senior who has demonstrated extraordinary perseverance in pursuit of his or her academic and athletic goals. In memory of Mike Murphy '92).

Bell earned second-team men's basketball All-District and All-Region honors, in addition to taking home first-team All-ODAC accolades. He averaged 16.5 points a game and grabbed 5.3 rebounds, handed out 49 assists with team-bests of 34 steals and 11 blocks. He earned the conference tournament's Most Outstanding Performer award. Roanoke finished the season 23-7 and advanced into the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year. The junior guard had four 30-point games and hit the game-winning shot in the Maroons' 59-58 ODAC Championship game win over Randolph-Macon College – RC's first conference title since 1999-20.

Samuel won the National Championship at 141 pounds in 2025 and followed up with a second place finish this winter, falling just 4-3 in the finals. He was the Maroons' first wrestling national champion and the school's first national champion in any sport since 2010. Samuel was also a 2024 All-American and a third-place finisher, so he finished first, second and third on the national stage in his career.  He finished the 2026 season with a 21-1 record with one pin, 10 technical falls and three major decisions. He won the region 4 championship with five straight victories. The senior ends his storied Roanoke tenure with a 99-15 mark.

McDonald has taken her game to new heights this season, and is the driving force of her team. She is currently in the top 10 nationally in goals and goals per game in addition to being ranked among the top five in the conference in points, points per game, and draw controls. A two-time ODAC Offensive Player of the Week and a Second Team Preseason All-American, this player has tallied at least three points in all but one game this season including a career high 10 points in a big win over Shenandoah last week.

Ladner, a 2025 Second Team All-American, picked up right where she left off last season, taking home the gold in both the 60-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles across the Indoor and Outdoor ODAC Championships. A two-time ODAC Scholar Athlete of the Year, she is currently ranks 10^th nationally in the 400 hurdles as she looks to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the second straight year. This Maroon also holds the ODAC Championship meet record and program record in the 400 hurdles. Additionally, Ladner is a nine-time All-ODAC, six-time All-Region, and two-time CSC Academic All-District honoree.

Cook came to Roanoke College as a freshman walk on after attending a prospect camp. He wasn't guaranteed a spot on the team but took the risk anyway. In his first two seasons he was a combined 6-18 wrestling at 157 and 174 pounds, but that summer before his junior season he dedicated his life to weight training and heavy eating to do all he could to get to heavy weight. Cook ended that season with a 28-17 record and taking fourth at ODACs and sixth at Regionals - the first heavy weight to place at regionals for the program. His senior year was one to remember, earning his way to the blood round of the NCAA tournament at Heavyweight. Nick is living proof that you can become anything you want to be if you keep trying.

Morgan has made the most of his opportunities at Roanoke College. A two-time captain on the men's basketball team, he served as a Student Orientation Leader where he worked events for incoming freshmen and provided tours for visiting students and groups.  He was a student worker for the athletics department assisting with game management, as well as a Student representative on the imperative 3 thinking group and in LIT (Leaders in innovative thought).  Morgan has also been a student entrepreneur at Roanoke College helping to create two businesses: an Ice Tea business called Champions Brew, and College Runs, a campus food delivery service. A second-team All-ODAC performer, he helped RC capture its first ODAC title in men's basketball since the 1999-2000 season.

Head strength and conditioning coach Scott Bennett also recognized four Strength and Conditioning All-Americans during the ceremony: Cook, Ladner, men's basketball player Patrick Clevenger and women's soccer player Jena Wahdan.