RIVER FALLS, Wis. — UW-River Falls Athletics celebrated its student-athletes during the annual 'Falcon Awards' on Tuesday, May 5. The award winners were selected from a pool of nominated student-athletes from all of UWRF's intercollegiate sport programs.
Kaleb Blaha (football) and Megan Goodreau (women's hockey) were announced as the 2025-26 Male and Female Athletes of the Year, while Taylor Sussner (football) and Sophia Hess (women's hockey) were selected as the Male and Female Newcomers of the Year.
Football was tabbed the Team of the Year while Women's Basketball earned the Team Academic Achievement award with the highest's team cumulative GPA of 3.70.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
The Don Page Male Athlete of the Year Award is presented each year to one male student-athlete that has demonstrated the greatest overall athletic achievement.
The Male Athlete of the Year Award is named in honor of Don Page, who served UW-River Falls from 1957-1992 as a teacher, coach, and administrator. Don Page is remembered as an icon for the UW-River Falls athletic department. He was an outstanding leader for thousands of Falcon coaches and student-athletes, and there is no one who has had a greater influence on Falcon athletics.
Kaleb Blaha – Football
Blaha delivered one of the most remarkable seasons in NCAA Division III football history, setting a college football record across all divisions with 6,189 yards of total offense while leading the Falcons to a national title. He broke numerous UWRF records during the 2025 season and finished his career with 14,739 yards of total offense, a WIAC record and the second-most in Division III history. He earned the Gagliardi Trophy and was named a Manning Award finalist, D3FB Huddle Player of the Year, and both the D3football.com and Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year. He was also the Stagg Bowl MVP and a consensus First Team All-American (AP, AFCA, D3football.com, Walter Camp), in addition to being named WIAC Offensive Player of the Year, D3football.com Region 6 Offensive Player of the Year, and a First Team All-WIAC selection, while earning four WIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors and two D3football.com Team of the Week selections.
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
The Dr. Emogene Nelson Female Athlete of the Year Award is presented each year to one female student-athlete that has demonstrated the greatest overall athletic achievement.
The Female Athlete of the Year Award is named in honor of Dr. Emogene Nelson, who served as a coach, faculty member, and administrator at UW-River Falls from 1959-1982. Dr. Nelson helped lead colleges and universities into the field of women's competitive sports and was the first woman inducted into the UW-River Falls Athletic Hall of Fame. She is remembered as a true pioneer in physical education and competitive sports for women.
Megan Goodreau – Women's Hockey
The AHCA Laura Hurd Player of the Year and DIII Hockey News Player of the Year, Goodreau tied an NCAA Division III women's hockey record with 77 points this season on 37 goals and 40 assists, setting UWRF and WIAC single-season records while also matching an NCAA DIII record with 18 power-play goals. She earned WIAC Player of the Year honors and became UWRF's all-time leading scorer with 209 career points, while finishing as the NCAA Division III all-time leader with 35 career power-play goals. She was named an AHCA and DIII Hockey News First Team All-American and was selected to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team, leading the Falcons to their third consecutive national championship.
NEWCOMERS OF THE YEAR
The Newcomer of the Year Award is presented each year to one male and one female student-athlete that has demonstrated the greatest overall achievement during their first year of athletic participation at UWRF.
Male Newcomer of the Year – Taylor Sussner – Football
The D3FB Huddle Newcomer of the Year, WIAC Newcomer of the Year and an All-WIAC Honorable Mention, Sussner had an interception and a sack in the Stagg Bowl to help lead the Falcons to a national title. He was a key factor in UWRF leading the nation with 40 turnovers gained, leading the team with seven interceptions and leading Division III with five fumble recoveries. He finished second on the team with 86 total tackles and 15 tackles for loss.
Female Newcomer of the Year – Sophia Hess – Women's Hockey
The WIAC Newcomer of the Year, Hess helped lead the Falcons to a national title as the nation's top-scoring freshman, finishing second nationally in scoring behind Megan Goodreau with 60 points on 28 goals and 32 assists. An AHCA First Team All-American and DIII Hockey News Rookie of the Year, she also earned First Team All-America honors from DIII Hockey News and was named to the organization's All-Rookie Team. A finalist for the Laura Hurd Award and an All-WIAC First Team selection, she was also named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team and earned Panther/Cardinal Classic Tournament MVP honors, highlighting a season that included six power play goals and two hat tricks.
"STUMP" FALCON AWARD
The Gary "Stump" Eloranta Falcon Award is presented each year to one SENIOR student-athlete, male or female, that has demonstrated the highest level of achievement in areas that embody the UWRF Athletic Department Core Values, including work ethic, integrity, leadership, and excellence.
The Falcon Award is named in honor of Gary "Stump" Eloranta, who has served UW-River Falls as its athletic trainer since 1973 and has been a positive influence on thousands of Falcon student-athletes, coaches and athletic department personnel. "Stump" has selflessly dedicated his time and effort to the betterment of Falcon athletics, and represents the can-do attitude and true Falcon spirit.
Zoey Buchan – Women's Basketball
Buchan became just the second Falcon in UWRF women's basketball history to earn All-America recognition, receiving WBCA All-America Honorable Mention honors while also earning D3hoops.com All-Region accolades and leading UWRF to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade. An All-WIAC First Team and WBCA Senior All-Star Game selection, she surpassed 1,000 career points, was a two-time WIAC Player of the Week, and ranked among the WIAC's top performers, finishing top five in scoring at 14.6 points per game while shooting .379 from three-point range and .845 from the free throw line.
SCHOLAR ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
This recognition is presented each year to one male and female student-athlete in their junior or senior year of athletic eligibility that has demonstrated high academic achievement, involvement in campus and community organizations, participation in leadership activities, and athletic achievement.
The Male Scholar Athlete of the Year Award is named in honor of Dr. George Field, who served as president and chancellor of UW-River Falls from 1968-1985. During his tenure, Dr. Field provided leadership for numerous improvements to the athletic department, and he is remembered as one of the most effective and personable leaders in UW-River Falls history.
The Female Scholar Athlete of the Year Award is named in honor of Dr. Connie Foster, who served UW-River Falls in many capacities from 1984-2009 as a coach, faculty member, athletic director, department chair, dean, interim provost, and twice named interim chancellor of the university. Dr. Foster's dedication to UW-River Falls represents the work ethic, integrity, and leadership that are core values of Falcon athletics.
Male Scholar of the Year – Justin Scheberl – Football
A College Sports Communicators Academic All-American, Scheberl concluded his career as UWRF Football's all-time leader in PATs (233), while also ranking among the program's all-time leaders in field goals made (24), scoring (305 points), and field goal percentage (73.7%). He led the WIAC with 14 field goals and 86 PATs in 2025, totaling 128 points while ranking sixth nationally in field goal percentage (87.5%). A biology major with a 3.86 GPA, he was also an NCAA Elite 90 Award nominee and an All-WIAC First Team selection while helping lead UWRF to a national championship.
Female Scholar Athlete of the Year – Lilah Gilyard – Women's Lacrosse
A senior defender and team captain, Lilyard was selected to the IWLCA All-Region Second Team and the All-WIAC First Team in 2025 while leading the Falcons with 32 ground balls. She has maintained a 3.94 GPA as an art education major and is a three-time WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll member, also earning CSC Academic All-District and IWLCA Academic Honor Roll recognition, along with the Mary Barrette Chancellor's Scholarship and multiple Art Education Studio awards.
