The James and Sis Brown Athletic Center brimmed with pride and enthusiasm as Reinhardt University hosted the 2025 RESPY (Reinhardt Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) Awards. The evening of August 25, 2025, brought together student-athletes, coaches, faculty, staff, and supporters for a celebration of achievement and community across Reinhardt athletics over the past year.
Reinhardt’s Association of Student Athletes (ASA) spent weeks organizing the grand event. Attendees wearing their finest entered through a giant inflatable eagle into a transformed, candlelit gymnasium glittering with gold and blue decorations.
The night’s biggest moments included the announcements for Teams of the Year. The softball team won the women’s honor for being the first Reinhardt softball squad to reach the World Series since 2014. Men’s golf received the Men’s Team of the Year Award following an impressive campaign that included winning the 2025 AAC Championship.
Heartfelt speeches by 2025 Hall of Fame inductees also moved audience members. Coach Bill Popp Golden Eagle Award recognized softball player Anslie Pettit (RU-2027) and volleyball player Alex Sanchez (RU-2026) for the female and male student-athlete with the best or most significant success.
“Winning this award is an incredible honor,” Sanchez reflected. “The Golden Eagle represents leadership, consistency, and commitment, and those are qualities I’ve been striving for since my first day at Reinhardt. None of this would be possible without my teammates and coaches who hold me accountable and push me to give my best every single day. Being recognized in front of the entire athletic community is something I’ll always remember, and it motivates me to keep setting the standard high for myself and for our program.”
To see the full list of RESPY award winners, click HERE.
– By Gabriel Gutierrez (RU-2026)
