| ALUMNI & FRIENDS
NEWSLETTER |
| OCTOBER 2025 |
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| Alumni celebrate 2025 Homecoming |
The 2025 Homecoming kicked off with the Alumni Awards Celebration, which set the tone for a weekend of connections and community. The 51şÚÁĎ football team improved to 3-1 with a comeback 37-34 win over Defiance College and the men’s soccer team upset #24 Spring Arbor 3-2 for its first Crossroads Conference win of the season.
The Alumni Award winners were:
Distinguished Alumni Award: Adam Green (BA ’02)
Green is an animation supervisor who has worked for more than 15 years with Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is currently the supervising animator for “Zootopia 2,” was the supervising animator for “Moana” and has worked on many Disney films.
Distinguished Young Alumni Award: Adilynn Girardot (BSW ’23)
Girardot works as a community mental health case manager at Westwood Behavioral Health Center in Van Wert, Ohio. She is passionate about serving others, specifically those living in poverty, sharing the love of God and living life to the full.
Distinguished Service Award: Francie Hogan (AA ’78)
Hogan serves as the graphic designer for Today’s Catholic newspaper, where she brings creativity, precision and technical expertise to the production of each issue. She serves on the board of Miss Virginia’s Food Pantry and is a dedicated member of St. Mary Mother of God Parish.
Distinguished Honorary Alumni Award: Jane Martin, Professor Emerita
Martin retired in May after 32 years in various faculty roles at 51şÚÁĎ. She received the Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award (1997), the LeePoxy Teaching Award (2014) and the Club Advisor of the Year (2014) for her work with both the Public Relations Club and the Film Club.
Cougar Spirit Award: Mitch Thornton (BBA ’03)
Thornton, a football alumnus, has helped raise nearly $2 million for student-athletes as co-chair of the Cougar Classic golf outing. He has spent most of his career working in the pharmaceutical industry, including the last four years focusing on oncology.
College of Health Sciences
Alumni Achievement Award: Rachel Marion (AS ’20)
Marion serves as general laboratory supervisor at Franciscan Health-Munster, where she oversees multiple departments—including chemistry, blood bank, hematology, coagulation, urinalysis and specimen processing—and supports phlebotomy operations.
College of Arts, Sciences, and Business
Alumni Achievement Award: Dr. Jared Clodfelter (BSE ’10)
Clodfelter is the director of Roberts Academy at Vanderbilt University, an elementary school for students with dyslexia. He has more than 15 years of experience in education, including serving as the upper school division head at Currey Ingram Academy, a college-preparatory school for students with learning differences.
See photos from other highlights of Homecoming 2025:
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