Salem State Athletic Department Recognizes Student-Athletes at 2026 VeSPY Awards

SALEM, Mass. -  On Monday, May 4, 2026, the Salem State University Athletic Department held the VeSPY Awards at Twohig Gymnasium in the O'Keefe Sports Complex.

A total of fifty-three seniors were honored for their collegiate athletic careers. Also recognized were the team's most valuable players from each sport for their exceptional performances during the 2025-26 seasons.

Salem State presented the Cioffi Family with the Richard B. "Mike" O'Keefe Award for outstanding service to the athletic program. Senior women's ice hockey and women's lacrosse student-athlete Aislinn Bennett (Milford, Mass.) was recognized with the CHAMPS/Life Skills Award for her contributions to the community and her fellow students. Seniors Cole Savage and Isabelle Besser (Scituate, R.I.) were honored with the Viking Award, which recognizes Salem State students who exhibit outstanding leadership and effectively promote the mission of Salem State athletics within the school and community.

Senior women's basketball student-athlete, Ernidia Goncalves (Everett, Mass.), and graduate men's soccer, Iago De Sousa-Vieira (Medford, Mass.) received the Salem State President's Cup, which is awarded to the top male and female athletes at Salem State. Goncalves received the honor for the second straight year. 

Senior softball student-athlete Allison Frost (Auburn, Mass.) and senior men's tennis student-athlete Quentin Wilkins (Hamilton, Mass.) were the recipients of the John D. Galaris Scholar-Athlete Award.

2026 VeSPY's Awards Photo Gallery - Courtesy of Lilly Nunez '25

Watch the Archived Live Stream of the 2026 VeSPY Awards HERE

2025-26 Salem State Team MVP's

2026 VeSPY Winners

Rookie of the year: Raheim Orleans (Attleboro, Mass.)

Clutch Performance: Hunter Thomas (Schwenksville, Pa.) at Worcester State (Nov. 6, 2025).

Record Setting Performance: Laura Young (Leominster, Mass.) and Nora Bradley (Haddon Township, N.J.). Young and Bradley both set program records in the same game at Bridgewater State (4/21). Young dished out her 79th career assist, and Bradley finished the game with 12 saves, which now puts her at 417. 

Best Play: Iago De Sousa-Vieira scored the game-tying goal after being down 1-0 in the first half. He corralled the ball and took full control before firing it from 10 yards away, which was lofted perfectly out of the Lancers' goalie's reach. 

Team of the Year: Softball. The Vikings finished the year 27-12, which is the second-most wins in program history. Earlier in the season, the Vikings had a 12-game winning streak, the longest since 2010 (13 games). 

2025-26 Salem State Senior Class