MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Allegheny College's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is eager to announce that Evie Ellenberger (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) and Ryan Cochran (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) have been selected as the 2025-26 SAAC Athletes of the Year.

A member of both the tennis and track and field teams, Ellenberger collected numerous accolades and won Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) championships in both sports. With the women's tennis team in the fall, she won all but one of her 30 matches en route to the PAC crown. Her only loss was a retirement against an opponent from Division I Mercyhurst in her first match of the season. After that, she went 29-0, including three wins in the PAC Championship Tournament. Ellenberger, who was undefeated in 18 doubles matches, was named to the All-PAC First Team for doubles and second team for singles competition, and was included on the conference's All-Tournament Team.

Ellenberger's performance on the tennis court provided just a small glimpse of the incredible success she'd achieve during the track and field seasons. Across both the indoor and outdoor seasons, Ellenberger broke team records in the long jump on several occasions. Her best indoor mark measured 5.90 meters and punched her ticket to the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships, where she placed fifth and earned First-Team All-America accolades. Outdoors, she reached 5.88 meters at both the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference (AARTFC) Championships and at nationals. With a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Ellenberger was once again named an All-American.

Like Ellenberger, Cochran experienced a breakout sophomore season of his own on the baseball diamond. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound outfielder was one of the most feared batters in the PAC, slashing .419/.500/.800 with team highs in hits (65), runs (54), RBIs (47), doubles (15), and home runs (14). His 14 dingers rank second all-time in program history and are the most by a Gator since 1998. Among national leaders, Cochran finished the spring ranked 11th in slugging percentage, 21st in home runs per game (0.35), 25th in home runs, 34th in total bases (124), and 48th in runs per game (1.35). Over the course of a 16-game hit streak during the month of April, he produced video-game-like numbers with nine consecutive multi-hit games and 10 of his homers. He flexed his muscle in a two-game sweep of Franciscan University, belting three home runs in the series opener and two more in the finale.

A four-time PAC Player of the Week, Cochran was twice named to D3baseball.com's Team of the Week and was recognized as the best batter in the country as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division III Hitter of the Week following the series against Franciscan. He also earned a multitude of postseason awards. Cochran was voted to the All-PAC First Team and the 2026 All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Team. Two different publications – D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) – included Cochran on their All-Region VII Second Team.

Here's a recap of all of the athletics department award winners for the 2025-26 academic year:

• SAAC Athletes of the Year: Evie Ellenberger (tennis, track and field) and Ryan Cochran (baseball)
• Senior Achievement Award: Jacy Diaz (volleyball) and JP Rakis (lacrosse)
• Newcomers of the Year: Gabrielle Bassette (tennis) and Adam Memije (tennis)
• Comeback of the Year: Cross country/track & field following the unexpected passing of Coach Ben Mourer '07
• Inspiration of the Year: Fletcher Hammond (football)
• William Crawford Academic Merit Awards: Kendall Cox (lacrosse), Aidan Dyga (soccer), and the women's cross country team
• PAC Scholar-Athletes of the Year: Jess Bickart (basketball) and Aidan Dyga (soccer)
• Friend of the Program: Jeffrey Jones, Facilities Maintenance Supervisor, Physical Plant