BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Justin Mumford, who graduated from the United States Naval Academy in May, was voted the 2026 Patriot League Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year when the League office announced the honor. Mumford claimed 2025 Patriot League Men’s Cross Country and 2026 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.
The New Baden, Ill., native graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with Distinction, earning his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering with a cumulative GPA of 3.95. Mumford claimed the 2025 Patriot League Men’s Cross Country individual title and won the 10,000 meters and 5,000 meters at the 2026 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
“Justin graduates from the Academy as one of the greatest winners in USNA history,” Navy Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Jamie Cook said. “He was a multiple-time individual conference champion, NCAA qualifier, and perfect in his team record against Army and vs. the Patriot League.”
“He is one of the most tenacious competitors we have ever had in the T&F/XC country program,” Cook continued. “He was equally impressive in the classroom and deserves all the accolades that have come his way. Justin is a fantastic representative of our program: A tireless worker, a selfless teammate, and a true leader who strives for greatness in all aspects of his life. Everyone within the athletic department is proud to see him recognized as the Patriot League Scholar Athlete of the Year.”
“Justin has outworked and overperformed since he joined our team four years ago,” said Navy men’s cross country head coach Aaron Lanzel. “I'm very glad the Naval Academy could provide him not just the opportunity to excel at a national level in athletics, but also in his other lofty professional aspirations in the future. He has certainly earned everything he achieved through hard work, day in and day out. Being patient was not always his strongest suit, but that is not a bad tendency when you win by being the first to the finish. Justin was one of the best at being able to punish himself beyond what his opponents could handle, and his gritty performances have left a lasting impact on the future of our program.”
He is the ninth Midshipman to receive the prestigious honor and joins Colgate’s Ray Appenheimer as the second men’s cross country and track and field student-athlete to earn the accolade.
Voting for the Patriot League Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year was conducted by the athletics communications staff from each of the League’s member institutions.
2025-26 Patriot League Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Justin Mumford, Navy, Sr., Men’s Cross Country/Track and Field, New Baden, Ill./Wesclin Senior
* A six-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree, Mumford graduated with Distinction in aerospace engineering (3.95 GPA) and ranked 66th in the Academic Order of Merit.
*Mumford won four individual Patriot League titles, winning the 2025 cross country individual crown, the 10,000 meters in 2024 and 2026 and the 5,000 meters in 2026.
*He set a Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championship record in the 10,000 meters (29:26.91).
*He was a five-time Superintendent’s List, seven-time Commandant’s List and three-time Dean’s List honoree, while receiving All-Academic honors from the USTFCCCA twice.
Student-athletes eligible for the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 and be a starter or key player in their sport. Freshmen or student-athletes in their first academic year at their respective institutions are not eligible for this honor.
The Patriot League Men’s and Women’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year are presented annually. The Patriot League Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year was announced on Tuesday, June 23. The candidates for these honors are comprised of student-athletes selected as the scholar-athlete of the year in their respective sports. For the 2025-26 academic year, there were 22 different candidates from 24 Patriot League sports.
Each sport-specific Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year award winner is eligible to collect the end-of-the-year honor. The 2025-26 men’s field included Austin Benigni (Navy men’s basketball), James Conway (Fordham football), Troy Elgersma (American men’s soccer), Zach Hayashi (Navy men’s lacrosse), Ben Irwin (Navy men’s swimming and diving), Hadley Maxwell (Bucknell baseball), Eli Spaulding (Loyola Maryland men’s golf), Amar Tahirovic (Bucknell men’s tennis) and Karsen Vesty (Boston University men’s cross country/track and field).
Patriot League All-Time Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year Honorees
| Year |
Men’s Scholar-Athlete |
Sport |
Cl. |
GPA |
Major |
| 1992 |
Bob Kelly, Bucknell |
Track and Field |
Sr. |
3.90* |
Electrical Engineering |
| 1993 |
David Berardinelli, Bucknell |
Football |
Sr. |
3.80 |
History/Political Science |
| Ray Appenheimer, Colgate |
Cross Country/Track and Field |
Jr. |
3.74 |
English |
| 1994 |
Ray Appenheimer, Colgate |
Cross Country/Track and Field |
Sr. |
3.75 |
English |
| 1995 |
Toby Moore, Navy |
Baseball |
Sr. |
3.30 |
Marine Engineering |
| 1996 |
Adonal Foyle, Colgate |
Basketball |
So. |
3.52 |
History/Sociology |
| 1997 |
Darrin Hinman, Army |
Track and Field |
Sr. |
3.52 |
Mathematical Science |
| 1998 |
Steve Haley, Army |
Swimming and Diving |
Sr. |
3.98 |
Mathematical Science |
| 1999 |
Nick Martucci, Lehigh |
Football |
Sr. |
3.40 |
Accounting |
| 2000 |
Ron Hess, Bucknell |
Track and Field |
Sr. |
3.70 |
Electrical Engineering |
| 2001 |
Brendan Skoniezcki, Colgate |
Soccer |
Sr. |
3.84 |
Chemistry |
| 2002 |
Dan Conti, Holy Cross |
Track and Field |
Jr. |
3.83 |
Mathematics |
| 2003 |
Dan Conti, Holy Cross |
Track and Field |
Sr. |
3.86 |
Mathematics |
| 2004 |
Billy Hurley, Navy |
Golf |
Sr. |
3.71 |
Quantitative Economics |
| 2005 |
Trevor Thompson, Navy |
Baseball |
Sr. |
3.95 |
History |
| 2006 |
Mike Tortora, Lafayette |
Soccer |
Sr. |
3.95 |
Economics/Business |
| 2007 |
Chris Renninger, Navy |
Golf |
Jr. |
4.00 |
Chemistry |
| 2008 |
Jason Buursma, Bucknell |
Baseball |
Sr. |
3.64 |
Economics |
| 2009 |
A.J. Glubzinski, Army |
Soccer |
Sr. |
4.00 |
American Politics w/Honors |
| 2010 |
Andrew Maisano, Army |
Lacrosse |
Sr. |
4.00 |
Systems Engineering |
| 2011 |
Nick Birger, Navy |
Tennis |
Sr. |
4.00 |
Political Science w/Honors |
| 2012 |
Brendan Buckley, Army |
Lacrosse |
Jr. |
3.99 |
Engineering Management |
| 2013 |
Brendan Buckley, Army |
Lacrosse |
Sr. |
3.99 |
Engineering Management |
| 2014 |
Joe Fletcher, Loyola Maryland |
Lacrosse |
Sr. |
3.81 |
Accounting |
| 2015 |
Tom Buffone, Navy |
Track & Field |
Sr. |
4.00 |
Physics |
| 2016 |
Franz Rassman, Loyola Maryland |
Basketball |
Sr. |
3.94 |
Business Administration |
| 2017 |
Ryan Bailey, Navy |
Swimming & Diving |
Sr. |
3.98 |
Operations Research |
| 2018 |
Jeff Gottesman, Bucknell |
Baseball |
Sr. |
4.00 |
Accounting/Financial Management |
| 2019 |
Alex Pechin, Bucknell |
Football |
Sr. |
3.93 |
Biomedical Eng./Mgmt. for Eng. |
| 2020 |
Not Awarded |
Due to COVID-19 Pandemic |
- |
- |
- |
| 2021 |
Micah Oh, Navy |
Swimming and Diving |
Sr. |
4.00 |
Honors Applied Mathematics |
| 2022 |
Aidan Olmstead, Loyola Maryland |
Lacrosse |
Gr. |
3.98 |
MBA |
| 2023 |
Ryan Greenhagen, Fordham |
Football |
Gr. |
3.96 |
Business Analytics |
| 2024 |
Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross |
Football |
5th |
3.77 |
Economics and Religious Studies |
| 2025 |
Patrick Hayburn, Loyola Maryland |
Swimming and Diving |
Sr. |
4.00 |
Finance/Information Systems & Data Analytics |
| 2026 |
Justin Mumford, Navy |
Cross Country/Track and Field |
Sr. |
3.95 |
Aerospace Engineering |
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.