LOUDONVILLE, NY—Siena Athletics was well represented on the national stage as 15 student-athletes were named 2026 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, with honorees representing five different athletic programs.
 
Among Siena's selections, junior water polo standout Catherine Williamson was recognized as the Water Polo Sport Winner. Williamson becomes just the fourth student-athlete in Siena Water Polo history to earn Sport Winner distinction and marks the seventh time a Siena student-athlete has received the prestigious honor.
 
A marketing major carrying a perfect 4.0 GPA, Williamson earned CSC Academic All-District recognition for the second consecutive season following her second straight MAAC All-Academic Team honor.1 In the pool, the Grahamstown, South Africa native garnered First Team All-MAAC recognition after leading the conference in goals per game (3.5) and tying for the league lead in points per game (4.3). 
 
Established in 1992 by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars program honors undergraduate students of color who exemplify the legacy of the late tennis legend through their achievements in academics, athletics, and community service. To be eligible, nominees must be at least sophomores academically, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher, and demonstrate a commitment to campus and community involvement.
 
More than 1,000 student-athletes from colleges and universities across the nation were nominated for the award this year. With this year's selections, Siena has now produced 143 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars since 2007.
 
The full list of Siena's 2026 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar honorees is as follows:
 
Ben Biton, Jr., Men's Soccer — 2^nd Team, Business, 3.58 GPA
Rebecca Currie, Jr., Water Polo — 1^st Team, Computer Science Entrepreneurship, 3.99 GPA
Marcus Jackson, Sr., Men's Basketball — 2^nd Team, Communications-Marketing, 3.56 GPA
Kayla Jones, R-So., Volleyball — 3^rd Team, Health Studies/Health Science, 3.54 GPA
Bianca Kennerley, Sr., Water Polo — 1^st Team, Political Science, 3.70 GPA
Audrey Lacey, Sr., Water Polo — 1^st Team, Biology, 3.56 GPA
Oliwia Majtyka, Sr., Volleyball — 2^nd Team, Computer Science Artificial Intelligence, 3.65 GPA
Mario Navarro Perez, Jr., Men's Soccer — 2^nd Team, International Business, 3.70 GPA
Alejandro Perez Jorda, Jr., Men's Soccer — 1^st Team, Data Science, 3.86 GPA
Thomas Sams, Sr., Men's Soccer — 2^nd Team, Psychology, 3.60 GPA
Iona Snape, Sr., Women's Soccer — 1^st Team, Mathematics, 3.98 GPA
Parker Thomas, Sr., Water Polo — 1^st Team, Biology, 3.60 GPA
Samantha Varrie, Sr., Water Polo — 1^st Team, Psychology, 3.60 GPA
Tomislav Vrdoljak, So., Men's Soccer — 2^nd Team, Mathematics/Physics, 3.96 GPA
Catherine Williamson, Jr., Water Polo — 1^st Team (Sport Winner), Marketing, 4.00 GPA