Horizon League Announces #HLSD Athletes of the Year, Newcomers of the Year and Sportsmanship Awards

April 16

Bridget Nash

INDIANAPOLIS (April 16, 2026) – The Horizon League released our 2026 #HLSD Athletes of the Year, Newcomers of the Year and Sportsmanship Award winners on Thursday, voted on by the League’s head coaches.

IU Indy’s Logan Kelly and Yassin Abdelghany were named the Men’s Athlete of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, respectively and Oakland’s Lydia Soldatke won both Athlete of the Year and Newcomer of the Year on the women’s side. Green Bay’s Nathan Halbach and Northern Kentucky’s Isabelle Barton were selected as the Sportsmanship Award winners.

Dig Deeper:

Logan Kelly earned All-American status at the NCAA Championships with an 11^th place in the NCAA Championship in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 51.24. He became the first IU Indy swimmer in program history to earn points at the event and the second athlete in Horizon League History to win points at the event. Kelly was a #HLSD Champion in the 200 breaststroke as well as a three-time swimmer of the week.
Lydia Soldatke won the Horizon League Championship Freshman of the Meet after earning two #HLSD Championship wins in the 100 and 100 backstroke. Soldatke was also the runner-up in the 200 IM and the 400 Medley Relay. She was a four-time Horizon League Swimmer of the Week and ser the Oakland pool record in the 200 back with a time of 1:56.03 at the Golden Grizzly Classic.

In his first year in the Horizon League, Yassin Abdelghany swam the third fastest mid major 50 freestyle of all time. At the Horizon League Swimming and Diving Championship, Abdelghany qualified for the NCAA Championship with a Horizon League record time in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly.

Green Bay team captain Nathan Halbach could be found picking up trash on the deck not only in his space at the Horizon League Championships but in other team spaces as well. Halbach volunteers at the optimist club in Green Bay and is committed to building a better Green Bay. He is the Student Body President and a SAAC representative who has volunteered for the salvation army, humane society and homeless shelters around Green Bay.

Isabelle Barton improved as a swimmer this season, bit she was always supporting her teammates no matter how she swam or how they swam. She was also respectful to teammates, other swimmers, coaches and officials at swim meets. “Izzy competed with heart and integrity at swim meets whether the meet was going well or not,” Northern Kentucky head coach Kevin Woodhull-Smith notes. “She always swam hard whether the team was winning or losing.

The Sportsmanship Award recognizes student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. Sportsmanship is defined as behavior exhibited during competition by student-athletes based on values, respect and integrity.

2026 #HLSD Athletes of the Year and Sportsmanship Award Winners

Men’s Athlete of the Year: Logan Kelly, IU Indianapolis

Women’s Athlete and Newcomer of the Year: Lydia Soldatke, Oakland

Men’s Newcomer of the Year: Yassin Abdelghany, IU Indianapolis

Men’s Sportsmanship Award: Nathan Halbach, Green Bay

Women’s Sportsmanship Award: Isabelle Barton, Northern Kentucky

Men’s Sportsmanship Finalists

Nathan Halbach, Green Bay*
Isaac Wilson, IU Indianapolis
David Barnett, Northern Kentucky
Nicholas Karel Subagyo, Oakland

Women’s Sportsmanship Finalists

Grace Foucault, Green Bay
Isabelle Barton, Northern Kentucky*
Delaney Buckner, Oakland