LATHAM, N.Y. - The United East has announced its 2026 Spring Senior Scholar Athlete Award winners that consists of 11 student-athletes from seven different member institutions. This award recognizes a senior who truly represents the student-athlete model by performing in competition, in the classroom and around the community.
Gallaudet University senior
Citrine Lummer (Frederick, Md.) was selected as the women's flag football honoree. Lummer is joined by fellow Bison
Mohamed Elsheikh (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), who was selected as the men's outdoor track and field recipient. The Bison duo join
Ella Gamble (women's volleyball) as United East Senior Scholar Athlete Award honorees this school year (2025-26) from GU. Elsheikh is the second honoree to represent Gallaudet men's track and field and Lummer picks up the first honor for GU's women's flag football program.
Lummer and Elsheikh join previous Gallaudet honorees in
Ella Gamble (2025 - women's volleyball),
Cotis Martinez (2025 - men's track and field),
Blessed Mbogo (2024-25 men's basketball),
Liam Painter (2024 - men's track and field) and
Cassidy Perry (2023-24 - women's basketball). Perry is the only Bison to earn the conference's Senior Athlete of the Year honor, when she claimed the 2023-24 Female Senior Athlete of the Year.
This past year, Lummer became one of the most dynamic and accomplished athletes at Gallaudet University, which is an institution for the deaf and hard of hearing. A Physical Education and Recreation major with a 3.73 GPA, Lummer has earned multiple College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, United East Scholar-Athlete recognition, and the prestigious Bison Scholar-Athlete Award. Her academic achievements are matched by her success across multiple sports during her collegiate career.
In the inaugural varsity season of women's flag football, Lummer delivered one of the most dominant performances in the conference, recording 112 receptions for 1,316 yards and 15 touchdowns while adding 77 tackles and 11 interceptions on defense in 14 games. She earned United East Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors while leading Gallaudet's program on both sides of the ball. A four-year standout volleyball player as well, Lummer's success across multiple sports highlights her versatility, leadership, and commitment to excellence. The Frederick, Md., native, also represented the United States of America at the 2025 Summer Deaf Olympics this past year in Tokyo, as she played on the women's volleyball team.
"Citrine brings a positive presence to our team and has grown both as an athlete and as a person during her time in our program. She has balanced the demands of being a student-athlete while remaining focused on her academic responsibilities, demonstrating growth and perseverance both in the classroom and on the field. We are proud of the impact she has made and look forward to seeing her continued success," said Gallaudet women's flag football coach
Emeila Beldon.
The other award honorees from the United East spring sports include; Penn State Harrisburg's Fisher Druck (baseball), Penn State Abington's Bernard Popky (men's golf), St. Mary's College of Maryland's Adam Martin (men's lacrosse), Penn St. Harrisburg's Colin Flack (men's tennis), Wilson College's Jacob McCoy (men's volleyball), Penn State Brandywine's Kaylee Mushinski (softball), Wilson's Riley LeMay (women's lacrosse), Lancaster Bible College's Natalie Hoover (women's tennis) and St. Mary's Savannah Owens (women's outdoor track and field). Gallaudet, Penn St. Harrisburg, St. Mary's (Md.) and Wilson had two honorees each.
For this award, a graduating senior student-athlete is selected based on a combination of their academic success, athletic success and service. An institution may nominate one student-athlete from each sport and the winner will be selected by a voting group. GPA for nominations will encompass the student-athletes cumulative GPA. Fall and Winter student-athletes will exclude their final semester GPA. Criteria for the awards is as follows: I.) A student-athlete must have a senior or graduate student class standing. II.) A student-athlete must be at least in his or her second year of competition at their current institution in any sport. III.) Must be a leading contributor to a team's success throughout the duration of his or her career. IV.) Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. V.) Evidence of active leadership and community service involvement throughout collegiate career.
The United East began the Senior Scholar Athlete Award in 2022-23.
UNITED EAST SENIOR SCHOLAR ATHLETE AWARD - GALLAUDET'S HONOREES
Also see:
