EIU Athletic Awards

Mason Miller from Eastern Illinois football has been named the Panthers 2026-27 Male Newcomer Athlete of the Year as the athletic department begins announcing its end of year awards for this past academic year.
 
Miller, a transfer from Marian University, was a huge special teams weapon for the Panthers football team during the 2025 season.  Miller earned third team All-America honors by FCS STATS Perform and honorable mention All-America honors by the Associated Press after being named the OVC-Big South Special Teams Player of the Year.  Miller set the EIU single season record for punting average at 47.4 yards per punt and ranked fourth in the FCS in punting average.  He had a season long punt of 65 yards with 19 of 53 punts over 50 yards and another 19 of those punts inside the opponents 20-yard line.  On the season he had just one of his 53 punts go for a touchback. 
 
A total of six EIU student-athletes were named candidates for the award with Miller joined by Rahfeeq Katumbusi (football), Yuki Nakamura (soccer), Machi Nelson (track & field), Alexander Sadowski (swimming) and Luke Watson (golf).
 
EIU will name winners for Female Athlete of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year later this week with the winners for the EIU AD Award, Male & Female, named next Monday and Tuesday to wrap up the month of June.  Rylan Gick from softball was named this year's OVC Female Newcomer of the Year on Tuesday.