MANSFIELD, Pa. – The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) honored Mansfield Mountaineer student-athletes as they announced their yearly award winners.
 
The Student Athlete Advisory Committee is a club made up of dedicated student-athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience. 
 
SAAC announced five major awards this year: 
Unsung Hero Award - Brady Deneen (Football/Baseball)
Male Rookie of the Year – Slade McTigue (Baseball)
Female Rookie of the Year  - Wyoming Trudeaux (Cross-Country/Track & Field)
Comeback Player of the Year – Sarah Shupp (Softball)
Saramae Radel Team Leader Award – Madison Ziska (Track & Field)
 
Unsung Hero Award - Brady Deneen
Deneen was a key fullback and a key special teams player for the sprint football team playing all eight games and scoring two touchdowns. Deneen then joined the baseball team as the bullpen catcher in 2026. Deneen would appear in a pair of games batting 2-3 with a double and a pair of runs.
 
Male Rookie of the Year- Slade McTigue
McTigue led or was in the top three in most statistical categories for the Mansfield baseball team. He had the top batting average (.331) and OPS (.893). His 28 runs led the team.
 
Female Rookie of the Year- Wyoming Trudeaux
Trudeaux broke out in her first season. In the cross country season, she was in the top two Mountie finishers in each meet. In the track season she had two solo victories and was a part of four relay victories. She ran the second fastest indoor 600 meter race in her first career meet (1:41.28) She qualified for the 2026 PSAC Championships and the third fastest outdoor 400-meter dash in program history (58.60).
 
Comeback Player of the Year – Sarah Shupp
Shupp returned after having surgery over the summer that limited her training in the fall. In the season she led the team in statistical categories. She started all 40 games on the season and led the team in hits, batting average, runs, doubles and RBI.
 
Saramae Radel Team Leader Award – Madison Ziska
In 2025, SAAC named their Team Leader Award after the late Saramae Radel. On the field, Saramae was the epitome of a captain. In her senior season she was at the forefront of the Mounties first ever home playoff game and playoff win in program history when she assisted the game-winning goal.
Ziska is a four-year member of the track & field team. During her career she had delt with coaching changes and battled through injury. Through all of it she has stayed a dedicated leader of the track and field team. Ziska leads by example and is never afraid to have important conversations with coaches and teammates.