LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College Department of Athletics came together Tuesday night (April 21) to celebrate the outstanding achievements the coaches and student-athletes at Florida Southern College have accomplished over the last year. The annual awards banquet, which was re-branded as the MOCSYS prior to the 2022 event, is put together by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) along with FSC Athletics Administration. Tuesday night's event was held inside George W. Jenkins Field House.
 
Several honors were handed out Tuesday night including the Pat McFadden Scholar-Athletes of the Year, Moment of the Year, Comeback Players of the Year, Newcomers of the Year, Freshmen of the Year, Best Team Spirit, Community Service Award, Support of Excellence honor, Student Worker of the Year, as well as the Iron MOC Award. Also the Trippy Award was handed out, which goes to a student-athlete that is a true warrior on and off the field. Someone that fights against all odds, always has a positive attitude, and an infectious smile. Someone who inspires others to be at their best no matter their circumstances. The ultimate team player! Someone who puts the team before themselves. A teammate that will give you a pat on the back or give up their spot on the field if it were what was best for the team. If there were real life superheroes, this person would come to mind.  The award was created in honor of Nicholas "Trippy" Nugent who was a special member of the Florida Southern College community.
 
The Department also held a special Senior Walk prior to the event where all the coaches, administrators and fellow student-athletes could honor the 2025-26 seniors.
 
Prior to the first award being handed out, the graduating seniors who have been inducted Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honor Society, were brought up to receive their graduation cords.
 
The opening award handed out was the Academic Award for each program which is given to the student-athlete on each team with the combination of the most credit hours and highest GPA. The recipients were as follows: Tanner Rollyson (baseball), JC Barrott (DT baseball), Riley Buccino (men's basketball), Lily Pereira (women's basketball), Hailey Carefoot (beach volleyball), Amber Haldas (cheerleading), Chris Colavita (men's cross country/track), Caitlin Beery (women's cross country/track), Audrey Bowditch (equestrian), Joel Peters (e-sports), Tyler Mistretta (men's golf), Clare Gimpel (women's golf), William Marshall (ice hockey), Maddux Walton (men's lacrosse), Charlie Laye (women's lacrosse), Lasse Dettmer (men's soccer), Bria Weldon (women's soccer), Kate Mikle (softball), Peter Csicsaky (men's swimming), Emma Sammons (women's swimming), Edoarado Melindo (men's tennis), Ronja Scheuermann (women's tennis), Nicole Russell (volleyball), Santiago Barrientos (men's water ski) and Sierra Klinchuch (women's water ski). 
 
The ceremony continued with the announcement of the Iron MOC male and female winners which were given to the athletes with the highest combined total squat, bench and dead lift. The winner on the men's side was senior Colby Rice from baseball and the women's honoree was freshman Annesley Flint of women's lacrosse. 
 
The show then turned its attention towards community service where several teams excelled in 2025-26. The top four teams were announced with a tie for third place going to both men's soccer and men's tennis who averaged over 20 hours per student-athlete on the roster. The women's cross country and track team came in second as the student-athletes averaged over 21 hours of community service this past year. The winner of the 2025-26 Community Service Award was women's lacrosse who averaged over 34 hours of community service per student-athlete this past year!
 
The next award was a break from the more serious honors being handed out as the Mocs celebrated the top MOCward Moments of the Year with the top honor going to volleyball student-athlete Nako Sasaki who earned the honor for a fall she took during a match in Tampa earlier this season.
 
As the night continued, the Mocs handed out the Best Team Spirit honor which went to the team who went above and beyond to support their fellow Mocs. The men's tennis team came out on top under Head Coach Rhett Rollyson.
 
The next several awards then began focusing on individual achievements as the first of those awards to be handed out was Freshmen of the Year. The award is given to a freshman student-athlete who has excelled beyond what is expected in their first season at Florida Southern. They set the tone for his/her career as a member of the Moccasin Family. The women's winner was beach volleyball freshman Ella Pringle while the men's award went to men's soccer freshman Joao Lopes. Pringle was named SSC Co-Freshman of the Year. She saw action in 24 official matches for FSC, delivering a 15-9 record. She spread her time across three courts, doing most of her damage on flight No. 3 with a 7-2 record, while also going 4-2 on flight No. 4. She was also named All-SSC Second Team following her rookie campaign. Lopes was named Co-Freshman of the Year from the Sunshine State Conference and was named to the All-SSC Third Team following an impressive debut season for the Moccasins. He started 16 of 17 matches, totaling nearly 1,200 minutes on the field. He contributed one goal, two assists, and four points overall. He became just the second player in program history to be named SSC Freshman of the Year and the first since 1997.
 
Next up was Newcomer of the Year. The award is given to a first-year student-athlete who excelled beyond what was expected. Women's basketball senior Carlota Gomez Alonso earned the women's honor while men's swimming sophomore Daniel Meszaros took home the honor for the men. Gomez Alonso was named an All-SSC Third Team selection. She played in 24 games and emerged as one of the Moccasins' most consistent and impactful players. She averaged 12.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, while shooting 42.3% from the field including 40.0% from three-point range. Meszaros earned an all-SSC nod after a strong season for the Mocs. At the SSC Championships, he placed second in the 200 free, was part of the 400 free relay team that won first, and was a third-place winner on the 800 free relay. At the NCAA Championships, he set new program records in the 200 fly as well as the 200 free while also being part of the ninth-place 800 free relay team.
 
The next honorees were given the Comeback Players of the Year Awards. Liliana Jeffries, a senior on the women's soccer team, sustained a season ending knee injury that required surgery in 2024. She worked incredibly hard at rehab and returned to play ahead of schedule and in time for the beginning of the 2025 season. She went on to play in all 18 games with 16 Starts. She played a pivotal role on defense and also led the team on and off the field as a captain and a leader.  She was recognized on the All SSC First Team and SSC All-Tournament team. Amare Miller, a senior on the men's basketball team, faced a difficult injury, but his approach to surgery, rehabilitation, and training was truly remarkable. He showed unwavering belief in himself and his support staff, determined not just to return, but to come back stronger. Beyond the physical recovery, he developed a resilience mindset, and his growth has been inspiring to many. After returning he continued to push forward with the same drive and commitment that led him to his 1,000th career point and an All-SSC First Team selection and All-Region Second Team honors.
 
The night then turned to the newest award on the schedule as the Moccasins handed out their Student-Worker of the Year Award. As a department, FSC hosts over 200 events a year and none of those 200 would function without the assistance of our student work force. Daniel Johnson took home the honor for the operations team while Karl Van Gelder earned the Athletic Communications honor.
 
The attention then turned to the Al Green Support of Excellence Award which is given annually to an assistant coach or staff member who goes above and beyond behind the scenes to support excellence in athletics at Florida Southern. The honor is named after former FSC Associate Athletics Director, External Relations Al Green. Green wore many hats during his time at Florida Southern — serving in roles ranging from assistant athletic director, head athletic trainer, associate director for marketing, to director of external relations. His impact on the athletic community extended far beyond campus, earning him induction into not just one, but three prestigious halls of fame: the National Athletic Trainers' Association, the Southeastern Athletic Trainers Association, and the Kentucky Athletic Trainers' Association. His dedication, leadership, and service have left an indelible mark on our institution and the profession.
 
The 2026 Al Green Support of Excellence Award went to long time Moccasin supporter while serving as Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration at Florida Southern College. Terry and his wonderful wife Lynn are a mainstay at many FSC Athletic events throughout the year and can be found in their usual seats for every home volleyball and women's basketball games. He has dedicated over 35 years to this institution and has been instrumental in making FSC into the outstanding institution it is today. He will be truly missed when he retires later this year!
 
The 2025-26 Moment of the Year was next on the docket with several top plays/moments vying for the top spot but it was women's basketball senior Lily Randgaard who hit a 40-foot 3-pointer late in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament versus Tampa to put the Moccasins ahead in the final minute. FSC would go on to win the game and advance to the SSC Semifinals.
 
The attention then turned to the Trippy Award, an award created prior to the 2024 MOCSYS. Head Men's Tennis Coach Rhett Rollyson and Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Kara Reber served as the presenters of the award but invited Trippy's dad Nick and sister Lexie to the stage to hand out the award. Women's soccer senior Ally Prentice took home the honor but baseball's Eric Harrison Jr., women's lacrosse's Hope Hettinger and men's basketball's Donovan Smith were named finalists for this year's award and joined in on a photo with Ally, Nick and Lexie.
 
The Pat McFadden Student-Athletes of the Year Awards were the final awards of the night. The awards are given to the top male and female scholar athletes annually at Florida Southern College. Established during the 1991-92 school year, the award is named for former Florida Southern athletics academic counselor Pat McFadden, and is presented to the male and female student-athletes with the best combination of athletic and academic success. Sydney Gomes of women's cross country and track took home the women's honor. She maintains an impressive 3.96 cumulative GPA while pursuing her degree in Sport Business. On the court, she was named Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year, in addition to earning All-SSC First Team and All-Defensive Team recognition. She became just the 12th player in program history to earn SSC Player of the Year honors and the first since the 2018-19 season. This season, she recorded her third career triple-double, surpassed 1,000 career points, 500 rebounds, and 300 assists, and set the Florida Southern single-game assist record with 15. For the men, it was Tyler Mistretta of men's golf receiving the award. He completed his undergraduate degree in finance with an impressive 3.96 GPA and is currently maintaining a perfect 4.00 GPA while in grad school. On the course, he has been decorated throughout his career. During his first season of competition, he was named SSC Freshman of the Year. He went on to earn PING All-South Region following his second season of competition. Last season, he earned Second Team All-SSC honors while finishing as the 89th-ranked player in the nation. He is currently ranked 56th in the nation and helped lead the Moccasins to the 2026 SSC Championship earlier today!