Tri-C and AD Franklin Earn OCCAC’s Top Honors for 2025-26

For the third year in a row, Cuyahoga Community College has earned the OCCAC’s All-Sports Award as the conference’s best performing institution. Leading the Triceratops’ charge was Anthony Franklin, the 2025-26 Michael Rickard OCCAC Athletics Director of the Year. 

“Thank you for this honor,” said Franklin. “I am truly humbled by the recognition and understand that awards such as this are only possible because of the outstanding colleagues, coaches, staff and student-athletes with whom I have the privilege to work with.”

The Triceratops ended the academic year with double exclamation points as the softball (16-1) and baseball (13-3) programs both wrangled OCCAC titles. Bryan Komlos was named the OCCAC Softball Coach of the Year. Interim head baseball coach Nick Kaplack successfully guided the program through a period of transition and maintained its high level of performance.

Cuyahoga competed in all six OCCAC-sponsored sports, finishing top-3 in all six, including a pair of runner-up finishes in the fall that led to postseason appearances for head men’s soccer (3-2-1) coach Devan Anderson and head women’s volleyball (7-3) coach Tionne El-Amin.

Both basketball programs were highly successful as well, posting conference marks of 8-4 (women’s basketball, OCCAC Coach of the Year Dion Griffin) and 11-5 (men’s basketball) to finish third in the OCCAC standings.

“Collectively, our coaches, student-athletes and staff demonstrated a commitment to excellence that made this one of the most successful years in recent program history.”

OCCAC ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (4)
Reese Adkins (softball)
La’Nia Moore (women’s basketball)
Jamir Ross (baseball)
Ryuko Yanase (soccer goalkeeper)

OCCAC COACH OF THE YEAR (2)
Dion Griffin (women’s basketball)
Bryan Komlos (softball) 

ALL-OCCAC FIRST TEAM HONOREES (18)
Baseball — Jackson Boles, Ethan Elbert, Keegan Gilbride, Jamir Ross

Men’s Basketball — John McFadden

Women’s Basketball — La’Nia Moore

Soccer — Stephen Forges, Baraka Mwakilasa, Stefan Trmcic, Ryuko Yanase

Softball — Reese Adkins, Brooke Brubaker, Sophie Durbin, Adriana Guarnieri, Lexi Gray, Isabelle Kepple, Julee Phillips

Volleyball — Mikayla Brown