Rutgers Prep Celebrates Athletic Excellence at 2026 R.P. ESPYs

Rutgers Prep held the R.P. ESPYs on Friday, May 15, which brought together student-athletes, coaches, and families to recognize the accomplishments of across its athletics program.

Inspired by ESPN’s ESPY Awards, the R.P. ESPYs were launched in 2023 as Rutgers Prep’s own formal athletics awards ceremony. This year’s event was emceed by Matt Bilmes ’26 and Ethan Nepomuceno ’26, hosts of Golden Fleece Gameday, and featured photos, videos, student-athlete participation, and awards recognizing standout individual and team achievements from the year.

The evening began with the Rutgers Preparatory School Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony which saw three new alumni honored: 

Brett Epps ’06 was honored for an outstanding Rutgers Prep athletic career that included cross country, baseball, lacrosse, and wrestling. A wrestling captain as a junior and senior, Brett won a Prep B Championship, was a three-time Somerset County Champion, placed third at Prep Nationals, was named a Prep All-American, and finished his RPS career with 107 wins.

Niki Metzel ’16 was inducted after a standout career in basketball and volleyball at Rutgers Prep. A 1,000-point scorer and team captain, Niki helped lead the girls basketball team to Somerset County Championships in 2015 and 2016, along with the Non-Public B State Championship and Skyland Conference title in 2016. That same year, she was named Courier News Player of the Year and Skyland Conference Player and Scholar of the Year before continuing her basketball career at Drexel University.

Larry Santowasso ’91 was recognized for his achievements in baseball and soccer as a Rutgers Prep student-athlete and for his long service to the school as a coach and teacher. As a student, Larry was a four-year letter winner in both sports, a team captain, and an All-Prep baseball selection from his sophomore year on and All-Area and All-County team selections as a junior and senior. He returned to Rutgers Prep as a faculty member in 1996 and has built an exceptional career as the school’s baseball coach, earning multiple coaching honors and induction into the New Jersey Coaches Hall of Fame.

Seniors also played a key role throughout the ceremony, from receiving awards to recording nomination speeches and sharing highlights from their seasons.

The R.P.ESPYs recognized the following individual honorees:

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[Panel title="Individual Awards"]
NJSIAA Senior Athlete Award - Elliot Hollander ’26
Recognizes a senior varsity athlete from each member school who exhibits outstanding school and community citizenship and possesses a cumulative grade point average of no less than 3.0.

NJISAA Scholar Athlete Award - Li Perez ’26 and Ava Mason ’26
Given to two members of the senior class from each member school with outstanding academic achievement as well as a meaningful role in the school athletic program.

Skyland Scholar Athlete Award - Maddox Chu ’26 and Anushka Gubbala ’26
The Skyland Scholar-Athlete Award represents academic excellence, outstanding achievement in the athletic arena, and good citizenship.

Somerset County Scholar Athlete - Ryan Lachs ’26 and Alexa Lee ’26
Each Somerset County school selects students who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to both scholarship and sports and embody the ideals of the scholar-athlete: hard work, discipline, dedication, courage, and respect.

NJSIAA National Girls & Women in Sports Day Honoree - Ava Frith ’26
Every winter, an outstanding senior female athlete from each member school is honored with a special award from the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport.

Jadin Collins-Roberts Award - Aiden Betsch ’26
This award is given to a deserving Upper School student who demonstrates a high level of involvement in the athletic department, both as an athlete and a member of the student body as a spectator, mentor, or teammate.

Comeback Player of the Year - Alyssa Manasse ’27
The Comeback Player of the Year Award, voted on by the Huddle Leadership Group, is presented to an athlete who demonstrated exceptional resilience and perseverance throughout the season.

Dark Horse Award - Kara Vandal ’26
The Dark Horse Award is given to an athlete nobody saw coming. They weren’t the athlete people expected, but now they are impossible to ignore.

Standout Leader Award - Matthew Bilmes ’26
The Standout Leader Award goes to an athlete who led when it wasn’t easy. Not the captain by title, but the captain by action.

Honorable Freshman Award - Layla Rasool ’29
This award goes to a member of the freshman class who came in and didn’t wait for permission to make an impact. They handled the transition, earned the respect of their teammates, and showed they belong.

Rising Tide Award - Brenna Buraszeski ’27
This award honors an athlete who made everyone around them better. Their energy, attitude, and effort were contagious. When they were locked in, the whole team felt it.

Junior Coaches’ Cup - Connor Lemanski ’27
This award goes to the junior who has had a positive impact on the overall athletic program and has demonstrated distinguished athletic achievement, leadership and sportsmanship in his or her chosen RPS sports.

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The ceremony also recognized teams across the athletic program with Argonaut superlative awards:
[Accordion title="" mode=single]

[Panel title="Team Awards"]
Dynasty in the Making: Girls Soccer
Breakthrough Season: Swimming
Standard of Excellence: Girls Tennis
Program on the Rise: Softball
Grit & Growth: Wrestling
No Smoke, All Fire: Boys Basketball
Underdog Energy: Boys Soccer
Program Culture Spotlight: Volleyball
Inclusive Impact: Girls Lacrosse
Next Up: Boys Tennis
Resilience Award: Cross Country
Hard Work Is True Joy Award: Baseball
Offseason Grit: Boys Lacrosse
Reloaded & Relentless: Girls Basketball
Quiet Excellence Award: Golf[/Panel]

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Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees and to every student-athlete, coach, and team that helped make this another memorable year for Rutgers Prep Athletics.

See Photos from the Event: 

[SmugMug https://rutgersprep.smugmug.com/RPESPYs-2026]