Columbia, MD - The 2025-26 academic year proved to be another successful one in the classroom for student-athletes at Howard Community College, as Dragons across multiple programs earned conference, regional and national academic recognition while continuing to balance the demands of competition and academics.
 
Howard earned significant recognition on the national stage through the NJCAA All-Academic Teams as 21 Dragons received NJCAA academic honors for their work in the classroom. Howard CC athletics also saw six student-athletes earn a perfect 4.0 GPA for the year and 23 Dragons earn degrees.
 
Men's soccer standouts Sebastian Fonseca and Nicholas Mirecki were named to the NJCAA All-Academic First Team after posting perfect 4.0 GPAs. Volleyball player Cheyenne Ellis and women's cross country and flag football athlete Aniya Clerisier also earned First Team honors with 4.0 GPAs. Myles McDuffie of men's basketball and McKenzie Walters from women's basketball also earned first team honors with perfect GPAs for the year.
 
Additional honorees included Olivia Mayhew, Kafilat Omijori and Arianna Layne on the Second Team, while Evelyn Ortiz Torres earned Third Team recognition.
 
The softball program led the way with a 3.08 cumulative GPA, while cross country finished with a 2.65 overall GPA and women's flag football recorded a 2.57 mark. The softball team had five student-athletes earn NJCAA All-Academic Team honors with Taylor Pence, Gianna Peluso, Sophia Steele, Layla Walker, and Marissa Webb performing admirably on the softball diamond and in the classroom.
 
The men's lacrosse team had a historic season on the field and three of those players also had great achievements in the classroom with Dominic Damico, Ethan Sands, and John Stubbs earning a place on the All-Academic Team.
 
A total of 62 student-athletes earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll recognition during the Fall 2025 semester, while another 49 were recognized during the Spring 2026 semester for achieving strong academic standing.
 
The year also featured several student-athletes reaching graduation milestones, including Fonseca, Donnie Frayer, Aniya Clerisier, Samone Haywood, Jared Porter and Evan Taylor among others completing degrees during the fall, spring and summer terms.
 
The classroom success across Howard athletics reflected the department's continued emphasis on academic achievement, leadership and preparing student-athletes for success beyond competition.