Athletes Honored at SCOTTY Awards
5/30/2026 8:45:00 PM | Baseball, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis, Men's Track and Field, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Tennis, Women's Track and Field, Women's Volleyball, Track and Field, Cross Country
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The UC Riverside Athletic Department hosted the 2025-26 SCOTTY Awards on Saturday night at the Johnson Family Practice Center. The department handed out 14 awards highlighting UC Riverside's student-athletes for their accomplishments during the 2025-26 season.
This was the first time since 2020 that the SCOTTY Awards happened and the first time since 2019 that the celebration was in person. The event was hosted by UC Riverside's Seth Myers. He is wrapping up his freshman year and helps the department on the ESPN+ broadcasts. It was a great night overall with athletes dressed to impress and to celebrate this past season.
Some of the traditional awards that were handed out were:
- The Golden Ankle Wrap Award – This award is given annually to one male and one female UCR student athlete who went above and beyond the expectations other athletes, coaches, and the sports medicine team with regards to their commitment to rehabilitating an injury.
- The Iron Highlander Award – This award is given to a male and female student-athlete for their dedication in the weight room.
- Rookie of the Year – This award is presented to one male and female student-athlete who made a positive impact on their respective teams.
- Athlete of the Year
- Moment of the Year
There were a few new awards this year highlighted by Fan of the Year and the Student Worker of the Year.
In years' past the department presented a Most Inspirational Award. This year it was renamed to the Kyle Owens Heart of a Highlander Award. Owens played for the Highlanders for two seasons starting 2022-23. He was later diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and passed away on September 30, 2025. His grandparents were on hand to present the inaugural award.
Here is a list of the winners:
Golden Ankle Award
- Makena Tong (Women's Volleyball)
- Mika Kosch (Men's Soccer)
Iron Highlander Award
- Jaxon Byrd (Baseball)
- Sarah Mahfoud (Women's Soccer)
Moment of the Year
- Kazu Kimura (Men's Track & Field) winning the Big West High Jump Conference Championship. He entered the competition unranked.
Break Through Athlete (Most Improved)
- Andrew Garcia (Men's Track & Field)
- Arianna Saldivar (Softball)
Rookie of the Year
- Taylor Swanson (Women's Basketball)
- Eric Martinez (Men's Soccer)
Female Athlete of the Year
- Hannah Wickstrom (Women's Basketball)
Male Athlete of the Year
- Andrew Henderson (Men's Basketball)
Lindy Citizenship Award
- Joy Weber (Women's Cross Country / Track & Field)
Stan Morrison Teammate of the Year
- Maya Chocano (Women's Basketball)
Kyle Owens Heart of a Highlander Award
- Parker Strauss (Men's Basketball)
- Chelsea Aninyei (Women's Track & Field)
Fans of the Year
- Alex Xiong
- Arther Shi
Student Worker of the Year
- Jackie Duarte
