The University of Akron Athletics
Adler, Campbell Earn 2025 MAC Medal of Excellence Awards
May 29 | Football, General, Softball
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Akron's Bennett Adler and Alexis Campbell were among 24 Mid-American Conference (MAC) student-athletes presented with the Medal of Excellence Award during the 2025 Honors Dinner Ceremony at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Tower as part of MAC Spring Meetings on Thursday, May 29th.
Senior Bennett Adler (Lakewood, Ohio) is a four-year starter on the defensive line for the Zips football program. In 2024, Adler was
selected as a team captain and one of two players chosen to wear the No. 1 jersey – which is chosen by the strength staff to a player on each side of the ball that demonstrated leadership on and off the field.
Adler played and started all 12 games in 2024 collecting 34 total tackles with 17 solo stops and 17 assisted takedowns with one pass breakup. He ranked first on the squad in tackles for loss, recording seven tackles for 32 yards of loss. Adler recorded three sacks for 24 yards of loss which ranked second on the team. He established a career-high seven tackles against Eastern Michigan on October 26. Adler was named to the CSC Football Academic All-District team and All-MAC Academic Team while being named to Athlon Sports' All-MAC Preseason third-team.
For his career, Adler played in 46 games for Akron, collecting 65 total tackles with 37 assisted takedowns and 28 solo stops. He recorded 12 tackles for loss with seven solo tackles and 10 assisted tackles for 51 yards of loss. Adler registered 5.5 sacks with five unassisted sacks and one assisted sack for 41 yards of total loss.
Senior Alexis Campbell (Indianapolis, Ind.) is a four-year letter winner and senior leader for the Zips softball team. Campbell has played in all 54 games for the Blue and Gold with 52 starting appearances at third base.
Campbell was one of the top hitters for the Zips, producing a .306 batting average, .353 on-base percentage and a .418 slugging percentage. She scattered 52 hits in 170 at bats with 12 extra-base hits, including eight doubles, three homeruns and one triple generating 37 RBIs. Campbell drew 13 free passes with 12 walks and a hit by a pitch while only striking out 10 times. She has touched a total of 71 bases. In the field, Campbell she owned a .958 fielding percentage at the hot corner with 62 assists, 53 putouts and only five errors.
For her career, Campbell has played a total of 179 games with 175 starting roles. In 2024, she was limited to 27 games with 27 games started due to a season ending injury. As a freshman she played in 48 games with 46 starts and followed up by starting and playing in 50 games her sophomore season. To date, Campbell is a career .299 hitter with a .336 on-base percentage and .404 slugging percentage. In 569 at bats, Campbell recorded 170 hits, including 31 doubles, nine homeruns and a triple for 114 total RBIs. She walked 34 times, been hit by a pitch once and touched 230 total bases. In the field, she owns a .962 career fielding percentage with 258 assists, 167 putouts and only 17 errors.
The Medal of Excellence is presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each of the 12 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.
2025 Medal of Excellence Award Winners
Akron
Bennet Adler, Football, Accounting, 3.66 GPA
Alexis Campbell, Softball, Biomedical Engineering, 3.95 GPA
Ball State
Braxton Kuntz, Golf, Finance, 3.96 GPA
Jenelle Rogers, Track & Field, Interior Design, 3.94 GPA
Bowling Green
Darin Hudak, Men's Golf, Finance, 3.94 GPA
Amy Velasco, Women's Basketball, Phys. Ed/Health Ed, 4.00 GPA
Buffalo
Cole French, Wrestling, History, 3.65 GPA
Maria Futey, Volleyball, Exercise Science, 3.87 GPA
Central Michigan
Alex Cramer, Wrestling, Computer Science, 3.93 GPA
Allie Korba, Volleyball, Political Science, 3.86 GPA
Eastern Michigan
Logan Hugo, Baseball, Finance, 3.87 GPA
Raisa Boris, Gymnastics, Elementary Education, 3.92 GPA
Kent State
Jordan Gilkison, Men's Golf, Business Analytics, 3.92 GPA
Alisa Arthur, Women's Soccer, General Business, 3.95 GPA
Miami
Zach Bann, Men's Swimming, Sport Leadership & Management, 3.79 GPA
Catherine Denysiewicz-Slowek, Women's Tennis, Business, 3.82 GPA
Northern Illinois
Evan Buss, Football, Mechanical Engineering, 3.90 GPA
Madison Mathews, Softball, Higher Education and Student Affairs, 4.00 GPA
Ohio
Miles Fleming, Football, Health & Wellness in Sport & Performing Arts, 3.68 GPA
Kelsi Harris, Cross Country/Track & Field, Psychology, 3.71 GPA
Toledo
Caden Konczak, Baseball, Information Systems, 3.96 GPA
Samantha Mikonowicz, Women's Basketball, General Studies, 4.00 GPA
Western Michigan
Anton Arzhankin, Men's Tennis, Computer Science, 3.87 GPA
Logan Case, Volleyball, French, 4.00 GPA
Senior Bennett Adler (Lakewood, Ohio) is a four-year starter on the defensive line for the Zips football program. In 2024, Adler was
selected as a team captain and one of two players chosen to wear the No. 1 jersey – which is chosen by the strength staff to a player on each side of the ball that demonstrated leadership on and off the field.Adler played and started all 12 games in 2024 collecting 34 total tackles with 17 solo stops and 17 assisted takedowns with one pass breakup. He ranked first on the squad in tackles for loss, recording seven tackles for 32 yards of loss. Adler recorded three sacks for 24 yards of loss which ranked second on the team. He established a career-high seven tackles against Eastern Michigan on October 26. Adler was named to the CSC Football Academic All-District team and All-MAC Academic Team while being named to Athlon Sports' All-MAC Preseason third-team.
For his career, Adler played in 46 games for Akron, collecting 65 total tackles with 37 assisted takedowns and 28 solo stops. He recorded 12 tackles for loss with seven solo tackles and 10 assisted tackles for 51 yards of loss. Adler registered 5.5 sacks with five unassisted sacks and one assisted sack for 41 yards of total loss.
Senior Alexis Campbell (Indianapolis, Ind.) is a four-year letter winner and senior leader for the Zips softball team. Campbell has played in all 54 games for the Blue and Gold with 52 starting appearances at third base.Campbell was one of the top hitters for the Zips, producing a .306 batting average, .353 on-base percentage and a .418 slugging percentage. She scattered 52 hits in 170 at bats with 12 extra-base hits, including eight doubles, three homeruns and one triple generating 37 RBIs. Campbell drew 13 free passes with 12 walks and a hit by a pitch while only striking out 10 times. She has touched a total of 71 bases. In the field, Campbell she owned a .958 fielding percentage at the hot corner with 62 assists, 53 putouts and only five errors.
For her career, Campbell has played a total of 179 games with 175 starting roles. In 2024, she was limited to 27 games with 27 games started due to a season ending injury. As a freshman she played in 48 games with 46 starts and followed up by starting and playing in 50 games her sophomore season. To date, Campbell is a career .299 hitter with a .336 on-base percentage and .404 slugging percentage. In 569 at bats, Campbell recorded 170 hits, including 31 doubles, nine homeruns and a triple for 114 total RBIs. She walked 34 times, been hit by a pitch once and touched 230 total bases. In the field, she owns a .962 career fielding percentage with 258 assists, 167 putouts and only 17 errors.
The Medal of Excellence is presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each of the 12 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.
2025 Medal of Excellence Award Winners
Akron
Bennet Adler, Football, Accounting, 3.66 GPA
Alexis Campbell, Softball, Biomedical Engineering, 3.95 GPA
Ball State
Braxton Kuntz, Golf, Finance, 3.96 GPA
Jenelle Rogers, Track & Field, Interior Design, 3.94 GPA
Bowling Green
Darin Hudak, Men's Golf, Finance, 3.94 GPA
Amy Velasco, Women's Basketball, Phys. Ed/Health Ed, 4.00 GPA
Buffalo
Cole French, Wrestling, History, 3.65 GPA
Maria Futey, Volleyball, Exercise Science, 3.87 GPA
Central Michigan
Alex Cramer, Wrestling, Computer Science, 3.93 GPA
Allie Korba, Volleyball, Political Science, 3.86 GPA
Eastern Michigan
Logan Hugo, Baseball, Finance, 3.87 GPA
Raisa Boris, Gymnastics, Elementary Education, 3.92 GPA
Kent State
Jordan Gilkison, Men's Golf, Business Analytics, 3.92 GPA
Alisa Arthur, Women's Soccer, General Business, 3.95 GPA
Miami
Zach Bann, Men's Swimming, Sport Leadership & Management, 3.79 GPA
Catherine Denysiewicz-Slowek, Women's Tennis, Business, 3.82 GPA
Northern Illinois
Evan Buss, Football, Mechanical Engineering, 3.90 GPA
Madison Mathews, Softball, Higher Education and Student Affairs, 4.00 GPA
Ohio
Miles Fleming, Football, Health & Wellness in Sport & Performing Arts, 3.68 GPA
Kelsi Harris, Cross Country/Track & Field, Psychology, 3.71 GPA
Toledo
Caden Konczak, Baseball, Information Systems, 3.96 GPA
Samantha Mikonowicz, Women's Basketball, General Studies, 4.00 GPA
Western Michigan
Anton Arzhankin, Men's Tennis, Computer Science, 3.87 GPA
Logan Case, Volleyball, French, 4.00 GPA
Players Mentioned
DL
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