UC Irvine Athletes Excel in Class and Competition

Balancing a full course load with intense athletic training is hard enough, but dozens of UC Irvine students are doing both at championship levels.

At the third annual Zotspys awards ceremony Monday, the university celebrated student-athletes who dominated in both the classroom and their sports during the 2025-26 season. Among the standouts were several students from the School of Social Ecology who proved academic and athletic excellence go hand in hand.

Track and field star Chimobi Onye took home the Academic Achievement Award while graduating with double majors in criminology, law & society and urban studies. The shot put and discus thrower placed fifth in both events at the Big West Championships, launching a personal-best 57 feet in shot put on his final attempt.

Onye has been earning academic honors since high school, landing on the Big West All-Academic Team and Commissioner's Honor Roll throughout his UC Irvine career. He shared the Academic Achievement Award with water polo player Zayd Mahmoud, a mechanical engineering major.

Jackie Pan, a women's cross-country runner double-majoring in social ecology and biological sciences, earned the highest grade point average among all Social Ecology student-athletes. Women's water polo forward Kelsey Swyney, a psychological science major, won Female Comeback Player of the Year.

The ceremony recognized top GPAs on each team, plus dozens of Scholar-Athletes who will wear special sashes at graduation. Students ranging from women's basketball to men's water polo earned the distinction, representing majors from criminology to urban studies.

Why This Inspires

These students prove the old myth wrong: you don't have to choose between athletic dreams and academic success. Their achievements show that discipline, time management, and determination can help young people excel in multiple areas at once.

Their success sends a powerful message to high school students everywhere wondering if they can pursue both their athletic and academic passions in college. The answer, clearly demonstrated by these Anteaters, is an emphatic yes.

The graduating Scholar-Athletes will wear their achievement sashes proudly at commencement, carrying forward the lesson that dedication to excellence has no single definition.