PEMBROKE – NCAA All-American, Benedetta Pepe Pugliese was decorated with Female Student-Athlete of the Year accolades, while first team All-American Landon Lucas raked in Male Student-Athlete of the Year laurels, as the UNC Pembroke athletics department welcomed back its nearly 400 student-athletes on Monday evening inside the Givens Performing Arts Cents (GPAC).
 
Wrestling's James Bankston and swimming's Noelie Lacour took home the Male and Female Newcomer recognitions, while swimming's head coach Oscar Roverato picked up the Dan Kenney Coach of the Year crown. The awards put a wrap on the 2025-26 Golden Braves program which was held in April. 
 
Pepe Pugliese had another outstanding year for the Black & Gold, winning the 200-Yard Breaststroke and earning four All-Conference awards at the Conference Carolinas Championships, while also being named to the Academic All-Conference team. A native of Avellino, Italy, Pepe Pugliese also qualified for the NCAA Championships in two events, and earned All-American honors after finishing 14^th in the 200-Yard Breaststroke, while also breaking school records in both the 400-Yard Freestyle and 200-Yard Breaststroke during the season. 
 
A native of Blythewood, S.C., Lucas racked up a plethora of awards in his final collegiate season, earning first team All-Conference and All-Region honors, while also becoming just the second player in program history to earn first team All-American honors from three different publications. Lucas finished the year with a .419 batting average, 20 doubles, 20 home runs, and 76 RBI, becoming the first Brave since 2015 to join the 20 double-20 home run club. 
 
Roverato helped guide the Braves to its third-straight Conference Carolinas Championship and also earned his fourth-straight Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year award. The Black & Gold brought home 10 event titles at the Conference Carolinas Championships and earned 20 All-Conference accolades, while the team also received the Conference Carolinas Messick Sportsmanship Award.

Bankston joined the team at mid-season and quickly became a force in the heavyweight division. A native of Durham, Bankston finished the season with a 10-6 record and placed third at the Super Region II tournament to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships, where he won three matches to bring home a sixth-place finish and earn All-American honors. 
 
A product of Bergerac, France, Lacour made an instant impact in her freshman campaign, winning Conference Carolinas individual titles in the 50-yard Freestyle and 100-Yard Freestyle, as well as relay event titles in the 200-Yard Freestyle and 400-Yard Freestyle. Lacour earned All-Conference honors in seven different events during the championship, on the way to being named the Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year. She also swam a leg on the 200-Yard Freestyle and 400-Yard Freestyle relay teams that broke school records last season.