BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Colgate men’s lacrosse player Hunter Drouin and Holy Cross’ softball player Anna Brait were voted the 2025-26 Patriot League Sportsmanship Award honorees when the League office announced the accolades on Tuesday. Drouin and Brait were selected by administrators of the League’s institutional Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Drouin is the fourth male Raider to earn the Patriot League Sportsmanship Award, joining Milan Williams (2019-20), David Naynard (2020-21) and Jeff Woodward (2023-24), while Brait becomes the second Crusader in school history to receive the honors (Katelyn Hartnett, 2011-12).
The Patriot League Sportsmanship Award is in its 21st year and was created to honor student-athletes who uphold the principles on which the League was founded – fairness, equality, and excellence in academics and athletics, in addition to the NCAA’s core principles of respect, fairness, civility, honesty and responsibility. The League’s 10 full-member institutions are eligible to nominate one male and one female student-athlete. Patriot League teams from associate members are also eligible to nominate for the annual honor.
Patriot League Sportsmanship Award History
Hunter Drouin
Colgate Men’s Lacrosse
Hunter Drouin has been an incredible member of the Colgate community, and although his talent on the field is undeniable, what truly sets him apart is the extraordinary character he brings as a teammate, a friend, and a leader. “His integrity, selflessness, and unwavering support have left a lasting impact on our team and on me personally,” said teammate Aian Murnane. “I couldn't have asked for a more dependable or inspiring co-captain,” Muranane added.
“When thinking about Hunter, I think about consistency,” said Associate Athletics Director for Leadership and Inclusion Meghan Kovac. “Consistency on the field and consistency in supporting each and every person around him. It doesn’t matter if it’s ensuring his fellow teammate is doing the right thing on the field, respecting coaches, referees, or opposing players, or showing up for his community; he is going to be there. What he has done while at Colgate is going to leave a legacy for him that goes beyond the field, where he’s worked to legitimately change lives.”
A two-time All-Patriot League selection, Drouin was three years old when he was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor, a rare form of kidney cancer that primarily affects children. Drouin has been in remission for the last 18 years with his goal to be able to use his story to give hope to other kids with the disease but also help raise money for childhood cancer research.
He has been the frontman for Colgate’s work with Lacrosse Out Cancer over the past three years, raising over $70,000, with this past year reaching a high of $32,948. Drouin has continued this work with other organizations, speaking at different fundraisers to bring awareness to this work and ensure that those kids know that it can get better, bringing his teammates along the way to bring joy to all the kids they work with. All this work recently led him to receive the Liam Gleason Humanitarian Award, established in January 2026 by Liam’s family. As part of its inaugural class, Drouin was recognized for leadership, sportsmanship, support of teammates and staff, and community involvement.
“Hunter has continued to demonstrate what it means to be a Colgate Raider and a Patriot League student-athlete by doing what he does best, being himself,” said Murnane. “His support for us- myself, my teammates, and our program-has never faltered, and in doing so he has gained the love and respect of all who have had the opportunity to cross paths with him.”
Anna Brait
Holy Cross Softball
Few student-athletes have demonstrated the resilience, determination and sportsmanship that Anna Brait displayed throughout her career at the College of Holy Cross.
A four-year starter at shortstop, Brait was diagnosed with Stage II Hodgkin's lymphoma in October 2025, requiring immediate chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Throughout her battle, she continued taking classes remotely while working toward graduating alongside the rest of her teammates. She also remained determined to return to the field, refusing to let cancer define the end of her collegiate career.
Brait was declared cancer-free in February 2026 and “once she was given full clearance to participate in workouts and practices, there seemed to be a permanent grin that you could not wipe off her face,” said Holy Cross’ SAAC E-Board. In her final season on the Hill, she started 37 games, tallied 24 hits and 13 RBIs, while delivering late-game heroics that helped power the Crusaders to multiple marquee wins during the 2026 season.
The 2025 Second Team All-Patriot League selection concluded her career tied for ninth in program history in hits (151), sixth in doubles (34), fourth in RBIs and sixth in walks (54). She also became just the 11th player in program history to reach 150 career hits and finished with a .946 career fielding percentage.
At the annual Crusader Awards, Brait was selected as the 2025-2026 winner of the Honorable John P. Cooney Memorial Award. Presented by the Holy Cross Varsity Club in memory of Judge John P. Cooney (Class of 1923), the Cooney Award goes to a senior letterwinner who performed beyond all expectations with courage, loyalty and dedication. Brait became the first softball player to receive the Cooney Award in its 44-year history.
Off the field, Brait excelled as an accounting major and completed internships at high-ranking accounting firms back home in Florida. She was active in community service, including the annual BCH Pediatric Transplant Center’s Family Day, the Holy Cross Team Impact Football Game, the Crusader Community Festival, both the Holy Cross Softball Fall and Winter Clinics, the Halloween Charity 5k, Healthy Minds Survey, and the 12u VooDoo softball team visit.
“The fight, determination, and dedication that Anna has maintained throughout this ordeal have been truly inspirational to our student athletes and program, said Head Softball Coach Jon Ladino. Finishing cancer treatment in four months, just to be able to return to play softball, the thing she loves was something that not even I believed would happen.”
Patriot League Sportsmanship Award Nominees
Other nominees for the 2025-26 Patriot League Sportsmanship Award include Ben Roy, Otto Landrum and the Bench Mob (Boston University Men’s Basketball), Christian Ross (Holy Cross Football), Victor Izquierdo (Navy baseball), Meg Cole (Colgate women’s lacrosse), Katie Hurt (Lehigh women’s basketball) and Maggie DeFabio (Navy women’s lacrosse).
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.