Carroll, Crumpton Earned MAC Medal of Excellence Awards
5/21/2026 8:59:00 AM | Football, Women's Lacrosse
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Kent State Athletics is proud to announce that football student-athlete Mattheus Carroll and women's lacrosse student-athlete Zayda Crumpton have been selected as the program's 2026 Mid-American Conference Medal of Excellence Award winners.
The pair will be formally recognized during the 2026 MAC Honors Dinner Ceremony at the Cleveland Hotel as part of the MAC Spring Meetings on Thursday, May 29.
The Medal of Excellence is presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each of the conference's 13 member institutions. To qualify, student-athletes must have participated at the varsity level in a conference-sponsored sport, maintained a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA, and demonstrated excellence in athletics, leadership, and service.
Mattheus Carroll | Football | MBA/BA Communication Studies
A three-year contributor to the Kent State football program, Carroll concluded his Golden Flashes career as one of the team's most dependable defensive performers. In 2025, the linebacker appeared in all 12 games and posted a career-best 23 tackles — including seven solo stops — while adding 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. Over the course of his career, Carroll logged 55 total tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks across 34 games in a Golden Flashes uniform.
Zayda Crumpton | Women's Lacrosse | Exercise Science
Crumpton capped her Kent State career with one of her most productive seasons, appearing in all 17 games and starting each contest in 2026. She finished the year with 36 goals and 16 assists for 52 points, adding 81 shots on goal on 134 shot attempts. Crumpton also contributed 21 ground balls and 49 draw controls won.
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