OSHKOSH, Wis.- An evening of athletic achievements, academic accomplishments and community service was celebrated when the UW-Oshkosh Athletics Department hosted the ninth annual Oshcars awards ceremony on Monday (April 27) at the Culver Family Welcome Center on the campus of UW-Oshkosh. Nearly 500 votes were cast as the athletics department handed out awards and celebrated the success of the past year.
 
The event saw UW-Oshkosh student-athletes from all 21 sports as well as coaches, support staff and administrators come together to celebrate the department's accomplishments from the 2025 spring season through the 2025-26 winter campaign. Student-athletes introduced the awards and announced the award winners. The 16 awards ranged from Picture of the Year to Team Performance of the Year to the announcement of the prestigious John Taylor Senior Scholar-Athletes of the Year winners. The emcee for the evening was Michael Patton, a professor in the College of Business, who also serves as the public address announcer at UW-Oshkosh home sporting events. At the beginning of the night, those in attendance saw the debut of this year's "Year in Review" video, made by UW-Oshkosh alumnus Jamyle Brantley.
 
2026 Oshcars Award Recipients
Picture of the Year Award: Men's Swimming & Diving
Men's swimming & diving, captured cheering on the Titans' men's basketball team during its home game against UW-River Falls on January 17, was named the recipient of the Photo of the Year.
 
Female Newcomer of the Year Award: Callie Panasuk (Oak Creek/Oak Creek), Women's Volleyball
Panasuk helped the Titans win the first volleyball national championship in program history, anchoring the backrow defense as a freshman with a team-leading 545 digs while ranking third on the squad with 129 assists and 36 aces. She was named to the NCAA Division III Championship All-Tournament Team after being selected to the five-member WIAC All-Defensive Team. Panasuk recorded double-digit digs on 28 occasions as the Titans compiled a 34-3 record.
 
Male Newcomer of the Year Award: Dylan Doss (Sterling, Ill./Sterling), Men's Track & Field
Doss, a junior transfer, produced three All-American efforts to help the Titans place third at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championship. He was the runner-up at nationals in the 60- and 200-meter (school-record 20.93) dashes, while placing fourth in the long jump. Doss, the WIAC Indoor Championship Track Performer of the Meet who claimed conference titles in the 60- and 200-meter dashes, was named All-North Region in five events (60-, 200-, 400-meter dashes; 1,600-meter relay; long jump) and holds the 400-meter school record (47.73).
 
Resilience Award: Bridget Froehlke (Wrightstown/Wrightstown), Women's Basketball
Having suffered through two prior ACL reconstructions of her left knee, Froehlke tore her right knee ACL during an open gym in May 2024. ACL reconstruction was performed that May, but Froehlke kept feeling a pinch with pain following surgery which led to knee scopes being performed in both August and November 2024. With no relief of pain, Froehlke was referred to a specialist in Chicago who performed a final surgery to ease tension on the ACL graft in January 2025. She missed the entire 2024-25 season but remained committed to her rehab and returning for a final season. Froehlke began practicing in September and played her first game in over a year on November 7 against Carroll University. Froehlke played in 26 this past season and helped lead women's basketball to a Final Four appearance in Salem, Va.
 
Female Black and Gold Award: Haylie Wittman (Kaukauna/Kaukauna), Softball
A senior from Kaukauna, Wittman has received 2024 All-Region Third Team accolades and a pair of All-WIAC honors – First Team in 2024, Honorable Mention in 2025 – as a four-year starting second baseman on the Titans softball team. She was selected to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll each of her first three years while helping the Titans to a 120-24 record, three home regionals and two WIAC titles entering her senior season. Wittman, who notched her 100th career hit earlier this year, is Oshkosh's SAAC co-president.
 
Male Black and Gold Award: Cameron Cullen (Kewaunee/Kewaunee), Men's Cross Country and Track & Field
A senior from Kewaunee, Cullen paced Titans cross country during each of his seven races this season, winning individual titles at the UW-River Falls River Town Invitational and the UW-Oshkosh Titan Falls Classic, before placing ninth at the NCAA Division III North Regional Championship and 20th for All-America honors at the national meet. Cullen, a six-time WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll recipient, won the 3,000-meter run title at the 2026 WIAC Indoor Track & Field Championship and placed second in the 5,000-meter run.
 
Titan Give Back Award: Women's Volleyball
During women's volleyball's annual Play for a Cause night against UW-Platteville on October 22 and over the course of the full season, the team raised money as a part of its Digs for Deke campaign, their effort to support Don "Deke" Kindt, father of former Titan Riley Kindt, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year.
 
UW-Oshkosh Athletics Appreciation Award: Michael Patton
Patton is The Voice of the Titans as public address announcer at several home athletic events and functions. When not fulfilling those official roles, his presence is often seen and heard as a fan "Rising up!" at Titan sporting events. Patton, a member of the information systems faculty in UW-Oshkosh's College of Business, serves as a Team Fellow for the Titans baseball program.
 
Team Performance of the Year Award: Women's Volleyball
The Titans dominated their way to the program's first NCAA Division III championship, winning all 18 sets en route to six consecutive victories. The Titans concluded the year with a 34-3 record, including 15 wins over nationally ranked opponents, following a 3-0 triumph over fifth-ranked University of La Verne (Calif.) during the title match.
 
Best Student Section Award: Women's Gymnastics
Women's gymnastics was named the best student section for its energy and presence at games.
 
The Phyllis Roney and Jim Flood Senior Coaches Awards go to a graduating student-athlete who shows leadership qualities, skill, character, attitude, courage, achievement, service to the community, contribution to the team, sportsmanship, dedication, and loyalty to the athletics program and the University.
 
Phyllis Roney Senior Coaches Award: Courtney Carpenter (Oshkosh/Oshkosh West), Women's Tennis
Carpenter is a four-year letterwinner on the women's tennis team and has been named team captain the last two seasons. She was a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District member in 2024 and 2025. She commutes from Fond du Lac to Oshkosh to pursue her major while still being a reliable athlete on the court and an inspiration to her teammates. She has done work as a CNA in many nursing homes and hospitals, volunteered at the annual Oshkosh Boys & Girls summer camp, and is a volunteer tennis instructor at many local youth programs in the area. She will graduate from UW-Oshkosh with a 3.97cumulative GPA as a medical imaging major.
 
Jim Flood Senior Coaches Award: Gavin Fritsch (Little Chute/Little Chute Career Pathways Academy), Men's Track & Field
Fritsch became a national champion in the weight throw at the 2026 NCAA Division III Indoor Championship on March 14, casting 20.78 meters (68-2 1/4) after set the Titans' school record in the event with a 20.84-meter (68-4 1/2) mark during the UW-Oshkosh Titan Challenge on February 21. He is seen as a leader within the track & field program, consistently bringing high energy and competitive spirit to each meet. He will be graduating from UW-Oshkosh with a degree in mechanical engineering technology this spring.
 
Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year Award: Samantha Perlberg (Chippewa Falls/Chippewa Falls), Women's Volleyball
Perlberg was a First Team All-American on the volleyball court and in the classroom as the Titans won their first NCAA Division III title. Perlberg, who became the program's first College Sports Communicators Academic All-America First Team recipient off the court, garnered Division III Region VIII Player of the Year, WIAC Offensive Player of the Year and Division III Championship All-Tournament Team honors on the court. Perlberg ranked second in the country in total kills and third in total points for a Titans team that went 34-3 and won all 18 NCAA postseason sets on the way to securing the national championship.
 
Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year Award: Joshua Rivers (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook), Men's Track & Field
Rivers continued his dominance in the long jump, winning individual titles at the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship and the 2026 Division III Indoor Championship. The national crowns were Rivers' third consecutive indoors and second straight outdoors. He also ran a leg on the 2025 outdoor 1,600-meter relay squad that finished sixth in the nation for another All-America honor. The program's long jump record holder both indoors (26-8 1/4) and outdoors (26-4 1/2), Rivers has also claimed the last three WIAC indoor long jump titles and two league outdoor long jump championships. He was tabbed the 2026 WIAC Indoor Championship Field Performer of the Meet.
 
The John Taylor Scholar-Athlete award is given to student-athletes who own a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher. The award reflects not only individual athletic accomplishments but also embodies the ideals of team contribution, scholastic endeavor, and community involvement. This is one of the oldest and most prestigious awards a student-athlete can win. The men's award began in 1976 and the women's in 1981.
 
John Taylor Female Senior Scholar-Athlete Award: Avery Poole (Cottage Grove/Monona Grove), Women's Basketball
Poole was named a CSC Academic All-District member for the 2025-26 season following All-WIAC Honorable Mention and WIAC All-Defensive Team honors this winter. She helped the Titans to their second straight NCAA Division III Final Four appearance while pursuing her degree in nursing. She has completed work as a CAN for Maximum Healthcare and Brightstar Care and will be graduating as a member of the honors college from UW-Oshkosh with a cumulative GPA this spring. Poole will work at the University of Wisconsin Health Hospital in Madison following graduation.
 
John Taylor Male Senior Scholar-Athlete Award: Clayton Schwalbe (Waukesha/Waukesha North), Football
Schwalbe was named a Second Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association before collecting Second Team Academic All-America honors from College Sports Communicators. He was voted to the All-WIAC First Team at tight end for the third consecutive year and the D3football.com All-Region 6 Team for the second year in a row this fall. He capped the season with 18 receptions for 213 yards and three touchdowns while helping pave the way for a Titans rushing offense that averaged 113 yards per contest. He graduated from UW-Oshkosh with a 4.00 GPA and is currently pursuing his master's degree.