Impact Award

The newly reimagined NCAA Impact Award — formerly known as Today’s Top 10 — celebrates the very best of college athletics by honoring one exceptional male and one exceptional female senior student-athlete from each division. These distinguished honorees, selected from the prior academic year, exemplify the highest standards of athletic excellence, academic achievement, and service to their campuses and communities. Chosen by the NCAA Awards Committee — composed of leaders from NCAA member schools and conferences, as well as nationally renowned figures including past award recipients — the NCAA Impact Award represents the pinnacle of student-athlete recognition.

2026 Award Winners

From organizing campus wide initiatives and mentoring peers to leading volunteer efforts and forging connections that last a lifetime, the 2026 NCAA Impact Award winners embody the core pillars of the NCAA Impact Award — athletic excellence, academic achievement and service to their campuses and communities — and showcase what it truly means to be a student-athlete.

Together, they represent the heart of collegiate athletics: not just competing but also uplifting others and creating impact that goes beyond the field of play.

This years award winners are:

Ella Brissett, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's tennis
Mia Levy, Yale women's rowing
Brayden Long, Slippery Rock football
Aino Martikainen, Franklin Pierce women's soccer
Micaylon Moore, Nebraska track and field
Matt Wrather, John Carroll football

Impact Award Recipients

Visit the NCAA Award Honoree Database for a complete list of past award winners.

Award Honoree Database

Nominations

Nominations Closed

Additional questions? Contact Us