Vavro, Prajunpanich Named PNC Achievers Award Winners for Fall 2026
8/31/2026 9:30:00 AM | Women's Golf, Cross Country, Track and Field
Youngstown State track and field student-athlete Sage Vavro and women's golf student-athlete Neeranuch Prajunpanich were recognized as the YSU PNC Achievers Award winners for the fall 2026 semester for their performances on the field and achievements in the classroom during their respective spring campaigns.
Vavro and Prajunpanich were recognized at the football season opener against Mercyhurst on Aug. 27 and were joined by PNC Bank Regional President Ted Schmidt to receive their awards.
The PNC Achievers Award recognizes two deserving YSU student-athletes each semester who exemplify exemplary leadership qualities on the field, in the classroom and within the community. PNC Bank is one of the Penguins' premier corporate partners.
During the 2026 track and field outdoor season, Vavro qualified for the NCAA East Region Preliminaries for the second consecutive season and broke his own school record in the steeplechase. Earlier in the campaign, he broke the previous school record, which had stood since 2009. Vavro defended his Horizon League outdoor title in the steeplechase, winning the event at the championships in May. Following the conclusion of the season, he was named an All-Academic Athlete by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Vavro also competes for the cross country program, where he has been named a two-time All-League Second Team selection and was the 2023 Horizon League Freshman of the Year. He has also represented the Penguins at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships twice.
Following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, Prajunpanich was named the Horizon League Golfer of the Year and a First-Team All-Horizon League selection. She was also recognized on the Horizon League All-Academic Team and was named to the 2026 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Women's At-Large Team. Her season mark of a 74.4 strokes-per-round average now ranks as the fifth-lowest single-season mark in program history. She also earned three individual tournament wins to move her career total to nine, eclipsing the previous school record of eight career wins, which had stood since 2016.
In her previous two seasons as a Penguin, Prajunpanich has been a two-time First-Team All-Horizon League selection, including earning medalist honors at the 2025 Horizon League Championship to become the first individual in program history to qualify for the NCAA Regionals. She earned her first Golfer of the Year recognition in 2024 and was also honored as the Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2023-24.
Vavro returns to action when the cross country team opens its 2026 campaign on Sept. 11 at the RMU Colonial Invitational. Prajunpanich opens her senior campaign alongside the women's golf team today at the Roseann Schwartz Invitational.
