RMU’s Poulich and Youngstown State’s Slessor Receive 2025-26 Cecil N. Coleman Medals of Honor

June 29

Rachel White

INDIANAPOLIS (June 29, 2026) – Youngstown State swimming and diving student-athlete James Slessor and RMU softball student-athlete Courtney Poulich have received our 2025-26 Cecil N. Coleman Medals of Honor.

Major Voices:
Horizon League Commissioner Jill Bodensteiner

“Quite simply, I am in awe of Courtney and James and all that they have accomplished in the classroom and on the field and in the pool, respectively. Courtney and James represent all that is great about college athletics, and I am excited to see what they achieve in the future. I would also like to thank and congratulate the coaches and administrators at RMU and YSU who have created an environment that fosters elite academic and athletic success."

Medal of Honor Recipient James Slessor

“I’m beyond grateful just to have been nominated by Youngstown State, let alone be selected as the recipient of the Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor. It’s an incredible privilege, and one I certainly won’t take for granted. Like any success worth celebrating, this award is the result of so many people investing their time, energy, and belief in me. To my coaches, professors, athletic and academic support staff, teammates, friends, and especially Mum and Dad, thank you. Every one of you has played a part in my journey, and I’m incredibly lucky to have had your support along the way. …Thank you to the Horizon League and Youngstown State University for this incredible honor. It means more than I can put into words, and I’ll carry it with immense pride and gratitude.”

Medal of Honor Recipient Courtney Poulich

“I am incredibly honored and grateful to receive this award from the Horizon League, especially among so many talented student-athletes. My time at Robert Morris University has shaped me in ways that go far beyond the field, pushing me to grow as both an athlete and a person. I am thankful for the unwavering support of my coaches, teammates, professors, and staff who have played such a big role in my journey and helped make this achievement possible. This recognition is a reflection of all the people who have poured into me throughout my time at RMU.”

RMU Softball Head Coach Jexx Varner

“This is yet another amazing and well-deserved recognition for Courtney. She is a wonderful person, teammate, leader, student and ball player. She has not only rewritten the standard for our program but, in many ways, for Horizon League softball as a whole. What she has given to Robert Morris University and the young women of our sport is incredible and will be felt for years. I am so proud of her and I am grateful to the Horizon League for this recognition of a truly remarkable Colonial!”

Former Youngstown State Swimming and Diving Head Coach Brad Smith

“James was a foundational part of our team. By that I mean, he was a multi-year captain who led by example and whose achievements in the pool propelled our team. He had a surgical nature to pursuing his goals in swimming and academics. Disciplined describes James who treated swimming like a profession. He was looked up to by his peers for his experience, attitude and role modeling.”

Dig Deeper:

The Coleman Medal of Honor, first awarded in 1981, is the Horizon League’s most prestigious individual honor.
- The award is presented annually to the top male and female student-athletes who demonstrate outstanding achievement in academics, athletics and extracurricular activities.
Poulich is the first RMU student-athlete to earn a Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor.
- She is the eighth softball student-athlete to earn the award.
Slessor is YSU’s first Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor recipient.
- He is the third men’s swimming and diving student-athlete to be awarded in the last four years.
Poulich posted a perfect 4.0 GPA, studying health science at RMU.
Poulich was named to the 2026 Academic All-America® Second Team by the College Sports Communicators and also earned Horizon League Spring Scholar-Athlete of the Season honors this season.
Slessor completed his business management studies at Youngstown State with a 4.0 GPA.
Slessor is a three-time member of the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team and a two-time #HLSD All-Academic Team selection.
- He is also a NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional, an international business certification demonstrating competency in global trade, market entry, supply chain management & international business practices.
Poulich is the 2026 #HLSB Player of the Year and set Horizon League single season records for home runs (25) and RBIs (88).
Poulich earned 2025 #HLSB Championship MVP honors and is also a two-time All-League First Team selection and 2026 NFCA All-Region Second Team honoree.
Slessor holds four YSU school records and earned All-League Second Team honors three times in his career, competing in 10 #HLSD championship finals.
Slessor competed nationally at the US Open & TYR Pro Swim Series and was named YSU’s team MVP.
Poulich served as captain for the Colonials for the past two seasons and her community involvement includes volunteering with Special Olympics and the American Cancer Society and running local softball clinics.
A two-time captain for the Penguins, Slessor is also a Beta Gamma Sigma member, an international business honor society that recognizes students in the top academic percentage of AACSB-accredited business schools worldwide, and he participated in the Mid-West Design Sciences Institute Student Case Competition.
Candidates for the Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor award must be seniors who have graduated or exhausted their eligibility and were participants in a Horizon League sponsored sport.
- Nominees must have a grade-point average of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 to be considered.
- Finalists for the Coleman Medal of Honor are below:
  - Cleveland State – Carl Gedlitschka, Men’s Tennis & Ella Franz, Women’s Tennis
  - Green Bay – Preston Ruedinger, Men’s Basketball & Jenna Guyer, Women’s Basketball
  - Milwaukee – Nadiia Konieva, Women’s Tennis
  - Northern Kentucky – Natnael Weldemichael, Cross Country/Track and Field & Cameron Bittermann, Track and Field
  - Oakland – Nicholas Karel Subagyo, Swimming and Diving & Maggie Murphy, Softball
  - Purdue Fort Wayne – Colten Gasson, Cross Country/Track and Field & Ava Genovese, Cross Country/Track and Field
  - RMU – Ryan Prather, Men’s Basketball & Courtney Poulich, Softball
  - Wright State – Patrick Statzer, Cross Country/Track and Field & Lauren Scott, Women’s Basketball
  - Youngstown State – James Slessor, Swimming and Diving & Jordan Truelsch, Swimming and Diving
View a list of all our Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor recipients here.