2026 Excellence Award Winners
5/12/2026 4:36:00 PM | General
The 2026 Excellence Awards celebrated our people and our successes from the 2025-26 athletic season. These awards recognized exemplary staff members in the below categories from across the Athletics Department, Business Advancement and SASSO.
INTEGRITY AWARD
The person, who through individual accountability, promotes and progresses the standards and values of Ohio State.
WINNERS
Tom Bugno
Mike Odrumsky
EDUCATION AWARD
The person who demonstrates an appreciation and application for the lifelong learning through quality academic, competitive leadership and/or social experiences.
WINNERS
Kate Reymann
Matt Bartlebaugh
PEOPLE AWARD
The person who focuses on providing an excellent experience to all including student-athletes, students, staff and guests.
WINNERS
Tim Adams
Isaiah Tucker
RESPECT AWARD
The person who promotes collaboration and inclusiveness while treating all people with respect.
WINNERS
Krissy Mullins
Leann Parker
INNOVATION AWARD
The person who utilizes innovative ideas to create and deliver impact.
WINNERS
Kyle Pulvermacher (not pictured)
Michael Wolf
COMMUNITY AWARD
The person who is committed to paying forward by supporting people and/or causes across campus or in the community.
WINNER
Alexa Webb
EXCELLENCE AWARD
The person who is committed to representing our values and consistently serves as an exemplar for their peers.
WINNERS
Xen Riggs (not pictured)
Braxton White
EUGENE D. SMITH AWARD
The person who puts the Buckeye Student-Athlete Experience first and foremost, exceeding job duties as assigned.
WINNER
Katie Walker
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD
The new hire who demonstrates university values, department values and extraordinary service in their field.
To qualify, this person was hired after May 10, 2025.
WINNERS
Sierra Nelson
Elizabeth Willy
HIGHER PURPOSE AWARD
The person who is committed to fulfilling the mission and vision of the Department of Athletics, Business Advancement and SASSO. This award was selected by the leadership committee.
WINNERS
Jon Clark
Brian Wells
Aliyah Wright
HOSPITALITY AWARD
WINNERS
Diana Delgado (not pictured)
Angelina Greene
TEAM AWARD
The team/unit that went above and beyond throughout the past year to help the department, campus, or community.
WINNERS
Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute
IT, AVS, and Video Infrastructure
PARTNERSHIP AWARD
WINNERS
Amber Thompson - Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute
Legends
UniPrint
Eligibility Guidelines:
- Any staff member from the Athletics Department, Business Advancement or SASSO can nominate another staff member.
- To win an award, the staff member must be a full-time employee with one year service by the date of the event (except of the Rookie of the Year Award).
- To win an award, the employee's overall rating on their most recent performance evaluation must be “meets expectations” or above.
- A staff member cannot win the exact same award in a 5-year period
