Eastern Illinois graduate student Tienne Fridge was named to the OVC-Big South All-Academic team released by the league on Thursday afternoon.
 
Fridge finished his undergraduate degree at EIU and currently holds a 3.81 GPA in Communication & Leadership at the graduate level.
 
On the field the nickel back was a team captain during the 2025 season playing in all 12 games and finishing the year with 36 tackles, six pass break-ups and two forced fumbles.
 
The OVC-Big South Scholar Athlete of the Year was Malik McKinzie from Charleston Southern.
 
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Malik McKinzie, Charleston Southern
 
All-Academic Team
Malik McKinzie, Charleston Southern
Tienne Fridge, Eastern Illinois
Cole Pennington, Gardner-Webb
Gavin Hulet, Lindenwood
Jax Leatherwood, Southeast Missouri
Jaylon Price, Tennessee State
Logan Weedman, Tennessee tech
Josiah Tingley, UT Martin
Christian Pierce, Western Illinois