Pirate Trio Earns American Scholar-Athlete Of The Year Honors
July 16, 2026 | General
IRVING, Texas – Jack Herring (baseball), Emma Magazu (lacrosse) and Jordan Riley (men's basketball) have been named American Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year according to the league office on Thursday.Â
Selections for the 22 Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, as well as the Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, are made by the Academic Committee on the basis of academic credentials and athletic performance. Each conference school may nominate one student-athlete per sport who has achieved senior academic standing as determined by the institution. A winner is chosen from each of the conference's 20 sponsored sports in addition to at-large selections from sports not sponsored by the conference.
Jack Herring Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year (4.00 cumulative GPA for the 2025-26 year)
Herring is the fourth baseball player earn The American honor since ECU joined the conference in 2015 alongside Jake Agnos (2019), Alec Burleson (2020) and Carter Cunningham (2024). ECU Hall of Famer and two-time academic All-American Sam Narron earned the same award from Conference USA in 2002. Herring graduated Suma Cum Laude in the spring of 2026 with a bachelor's in communications, sporting a cumulative 3.95 GPA. He was named a 2024-25 American Conference All-Academic Team selection, was a four-time ECU Directors of Athletics Honor Roll member and earned Third Team CSC Academic All-America® accolades in 2026 becoming the 12th baseball student-athlete (eighth under head coach Cliff Godwin) to receive the national honor. In addition to his academics, Herring was named to the American All-Conference Second Team and the Second Team Atlantic All-Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) for his athletic efforts in the 2026 season. Â
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Emma Magazu Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year (3.40 cumulative GPA for the 2025-26 year)
Magazu is the second lacrosse player in school history to earn the Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year award following Megan Pallozzi in 2020. A spring of 2025 graduate receiving her bachelor's degree in applied sociology with a concentration in crime, law and deviance (3.80 GPA), she is currently working towards her MBA where she sports a 3.40 grade point average. She is a two-time American All-Academic Team selection and earned ECU Chancellor List honors in the fall of 2024 and Dean's List accolades in spring of 2025. Magazu departs as one of the most decorated players in ECU history after being a two-time First Team All-American Conference selection, American Defensive Player of the Year and an IWLCA All-Region pick. During two seasons with the Pirates, she made 34 starts with 89 ground balls and 58 caused turnovers, both ranking in the top five in program history. In total, she made 59 starts in as many appearances in her career, recording 133 ground balls, 77 caused turnovers, one goal and one assist, that also included two seasons at New Hampshire.
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Jordan Riley Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year (3.81 cumulative GPA for the 2025-26 year)
Riley is just the second men's basketball student-athlete at ECU to earn The American men's basketball honor following Ludgy Debaut in 2022. In the classroom, he was named to the CSC Academic All-District® Team after the conclusion of the 2025-26 season and earned a spot on the American All-Academic team in 2024-25. He graduated with a bachelor's in communication in the spring of 2026 boasting a 3.63 cumulative GPA. On the court, Riley recorded one of the most impressive statistical seasons in program history finishing second in the NCAA in points per game (23.6), setting an American Conference single-season record with seven games of 30 or more points and earning national weekly honors three times (2x USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, Lute Olson National Player of the Week). He became just the fourth player in program history to reach 1,000 points in an ECU jersey in just a two-season span as 1,188 of his 1,725 career points were scored in the Purple and Gold. A first team all-conference selection, he was only the second player in program history to score 700 or more points in a single season, was the Pirates' leading scorer in 26 of their 31 games and scored in double figures in the last 40 games of his collegiate career. He was also named to the NABC's South Atlantic District Second Team, becoming just the fifth player in program history to garner all-district honors.
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Selections for the 22 Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, as well as the Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, are made by the Academic Committee on the basis of academic credentials and athletic performance. Each conference school may nominate one student-athlete per sport who has achieved senior academic standing as determined by the institution. A winner is chosen from each of the conference's 20 sponsored sports in addition to at-large selections from sports not sponsored by the conference.
Jack Herring Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year (4.00 cumulative GPA for the 2025-26 year)
Herring is the fourth baseball player earn The American honor since ECU joined the conference in 2015 alongside Jake Agnos (2019), Alec Burleson (2020) and Carter Cunningham (2024). ECU Hall of Famer and two-time academic All-American Sam Narron earned the same award from Conference USA in 2002. Herring graduated Suma Cum Laude in the spring of 2026 with a bachelor's in communications, sporting a cumulative 3.95 GPA. He was named a 2024-25 American Conference All-Academic Team selection, was a four-time ECU Directors of Athletics Honor Roll member and earned Third Team CSC Academic All-America® accolades in 2026 becoming the 12th baseball student-athlete (eighth under head coach Cliff Godwin) to receive the national honor. In addition to his academics, Herring was named to the American All-Conference Second Team and the Second Team Atlantic All-Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) for his athletic efforts in the 2026 season. Â
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Emma Magazu Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year (3.40 cumulative GPA for the 2025-26 year)
Magazu is the second lacrosse player in school history to earn the Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year award following Megan Pallozzi in 2020. A spring of 2025 graduate receiving her bachelor's degree in applied sociology with a concentration in crime, law and deviance (3.80 GPA), she is currently working towards her MBA where she sports a 3.40 grade point average. She is a two-time American All-Academic Team selection and earned ECU Chancellor List honors in the fall of 2024 and Dean's List accolades in spring of 2025. Magazu departs as one of the most decorated players in ECU history after being a two-time First Team All-American Conference selection, American Defensive Player of the Year and an IWLCA All-Region pick. During two seasons with the Pirates, she made 34 starts with 89 ground balls and 58 caused turnovers, both ranking in the top five in program history. In total, she made 59 starts in as many appearances in her career, recording 133 ground balls, 77 caused turnovers, one goal and one assist, that also included two seasons at New Hampshire.
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Jordan Riley Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year (3.81 cumulative GPA for the 2025-26 year)
Riley is just the second men's basketball student-athlete at ECU to earn The American men's basketball honor following Ludgy Debaut in 2022. In the classroom, he was named to the CSC Academic All-District® Team after the conclusion of the 2025-26 season and earned a spot on the American All-Academic team in 2024-25. He graduated with a bachelor's in communication in the spring of 2026 boasting a 3.63 cumulative GPA. On the court, Riley recorded one of the most impressive statistical seasons in program history finishing second in the NCAA in points per game (23.6), setting an American Conference single-season record with seven games of 30 or more points and earning national weekly honors three times (2x USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, Lute Olson National Player of the Week). He became just the fourth player in program history to reach 1,000 points in an ECU jersey in just a two-season span as 1,188 of his 1,725 career points were scored in the Purple and Gold. A first team all-conference selection, he was only the second player in program history to score 700 or more points in a single season, was the Pirates' leading scorer in 26 of their 31 games and scored in double figures in the last 40 games of his collegiate career. He was also named to the NABC's South Atlantic District Second Team, becoming just the fifth player in program history to garner all-district honors.
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Players Mentioned
Friday, May 29
Thursday, May 28
Sunday, May 24
Sunday, May 24
