NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion University athletics hosted the annual Golden Monarch Awards on Monday night at Chartway Arena. Awards were given out for Athlete of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Scholar-Athlete, Spark Plug, Community Service, Mr. and Ms. Monarch and the Monarch Cup.
Golden Monarch Award Winners
Male Athlete of the Year
Adam Majchrzak – Men’s Tennis
Adam Majchrzak earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year honors, going 12-6 playing at No. 1 singles this spring and 3-0 during ODU’s run through the conference tournament, helping ODU secure its fourth straight conference title. He earned first team all-conference honors for singles and doubles.
Female Athlete of the Year
Ashlynn Kulha – Women’s Soccer
Kulha was named the first player in Sun Belt history to secure back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards this season along with being selected to the All-Sun Belt First Team. The junior from Holly Springs, N.C. has been key in seven shutouts for the Monarchs. The seven shutouts are ranked third in the conference. She was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week on August 26 after helping hold Power Four opponent Maryland to one shot in the entire game and scored a diving header in a 2-0 victory.
In all games played, ODU ranks second in the Sun Belt in total goals allowed (17) and goals against average (.94). In conference games, ODU’s ranking stays the same. They tied for second in goals allowed (9) and goals against average (.90). Kulha led a suffocating defense that prevented shots. In all games played ODU had a +20 goal differential over 18 games played and in conference ODU had a +13 differential.
Male Freshman of the Year
Zech Hamrouni – Men’s Tennis
Hamrouni won Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and helped ODU win its fourth-straight Sun Belt Conference title, clinching the championship with his three-set win at No. 2 singles over Troy. He is 14-5 in singles this spring and 13-7 in doubles.
Female Freshman of the Year
Ashley Economopoulos – Women’s Soccer
Economopoulos made an instant impact in her freshman season for Old Dominion. The native of Grantville, Pennsylvania appeared in 18 games and scored five goals and provided five assists. That effort earned her a spot as an All-Sun Belt Third Team recipient. She also tallied 36 shots and 17 shots on goal for a shot on goal percentage of 47.2% in 903 minutes played.
She scored a season high two goals against Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in the Monarchs’ 7-1 victory. She also scored against William & Mary, Troy, and against ULM in the Sun Belt Conference Semi Finals.
Newcomer of the Year
Piet Steveker – Men’s Tennis
Steveker was named Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year and is 15-3 in singles play and has not lost a match since early March. He accounted for four wins over opponents from ranked universities, including #31 Cornell, #40 Penn, #48 Middle Tennessee, and #64 Liberty.Steveker was named Sun Belt Singles Player of the Week in March. He also posted an 11-3 doubles record with Zech Hamrouni, where the pair won Sun Belt Doubles Team of the Week twice.
Breakthrough
Ellie Goodrich – Women’s Soccer
A junior goalkeeper from Alexandria, Virginia Goodrich earned an All-Sun Belt Third Team selection this past season. She made 10 starts in ODU’s 18 games and was ODU’s starting goalkeeper heading into the Sun Belt Conference Championships. She only conceded three goals all regular season. The Monarchs finished the season with a goals against average of 0.94 with only 17 conceded in 18 games played to rank second in the Sun Belt Conference. Goodrich made 20 saves in 2025 and secured six shutouts to finish the season with a record of 6-1-3.
Best Sports Moment
ODU Dominates Virginia Tech
Old Dominion defeated Virginia Tech in football, women’s soccer and men’s tennis during the 2025-26 athletic year. Football started things off with a 45-26 thrashing over the Hokies, while women's soccer defeated the No. 20 Hokies 2-1 in Norfolk. Men’s Tennis finished the trio of victories with a 4-3 win at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center.
Best Individual Performance
Barbara Car – Women’s Golf
Car shot a 6-under 66 in the final round to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship with a 7-under score over the three-day championship. Car shot a 1-over 73 on the first day and a 2-under 70 on the second day before a final round that featured six birdies. By winning the championship, she earned the Sun Belt’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Mr. Monarch
Yanis Moundir, Men’s Tennis
Yanis matured a lot in his 4 years at Old Dominion which is indicative of the ODU experience. He learned what it means to play for something bigger than himself and what it means to be excellent off the court. Everyone loves Yanis because he finds ways to make you laugh which makes him an overall fit to be Mr. Monarch.
Ms. Monarch
Simone Cunningham, Women’s Basketball
Simone Cunningham embodies what it means to be a Monarch in every way. Athletically,she’s the engine of our team — the player who changes games with her toughness,consistency, and refusal to be outworked. But her impact goes far beyond the stat sheet. Simone leads with humility and conviction, holding herself and everyone around her to a higher standard while making each teammate feel seen and valued. I’ve watched her grow from a talented player into a young woman of remarkable character: resilient, selfless, and relentless in her pursuit of excellence in the classroom, on the court, and in the community. Her positive influence is woven into the fabric of our program, and when she graduates, we’ll be missing more than points and rebounds — we’ll be missing the heartbeat of our team.
Iron Monarch
Yuliia Khrystiuk – Women's Soccer
The Iron Monarch Award is given to the Old Dominion athlete who best exemplifies elite commitment to strength and conditioning, both physically and mentally. This award is more than just lifting heavy weight. It symbolizes discipline, resilience, accountability, and consistency.
Spark Plug Award
Seth Naotala – Football
This award is presented to a student-athlete of either gender that motivates and energizes others through positive encouragement. The team would be less without this student-athlete's presence and contributions to the team.
Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Bryce Mortimer – Swimming
Mortimer set the school record in the 200 breaststroke and won the event at the Atlantic SunChampionships for the second-straight year. He also was a member of the 200 free and 200 medley relay teams that broke school records. Mortimer was named to the Academic All-ASUN Team and CSC Academic All-District.
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year & Community Service
Brynn Bowen – Women’s Lacrosse
Bowen earned American Conference Goalkeeper of the Week honors. She set a single-game program record with 15 saves, reached 200 career saves, and posted an 11.81 goals-against average. She led the conference in saves and ranked 10th nationally.
Monarch Cup
Women’s Tennis