This year’s NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C. brought CMS Athletics to the national stage to learn about important opportunities shaping collegiate competition now and in the future.
Best of all, it also offered CMC and CMS the chance to celebrate one of their finest scholar-leader-athletes—former women’s tennis standout Ella Brissett ’25, winner of the 2026 NCAA Impact Award for Division III. The Impact Award honors the “highest standards of athletic excellence, academic achievement, and service to their campuses and communities.”
For Brissett, the Jan. 13-16 convention was the culmination of an incredible 2025 that saw her graduate from CMC in May while racking up multiple significant awards, most notably the Division III Commissioner’s Association Women’s Sport Student-Athlete of the Year, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award, and the ITA Division III National Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. She was also one of 30 finalists for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
Brissett was joined on stage in D.C. by family, including parents Anthony and Annette P’25, as well as President Hiram Chodosh and Erica Jasper, William B. Arce Director of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation and George R. Roberts Fellow.
“Watching Ella accept the NCAA Impact Award and share the stage with the other award recipients was an unforgettable moment,” Jasper said. “I was truly humbled to be a small part of her journey and honored to join her family in celebrating such a well-deserved recognition that night.”
Also joining the NCAA festivities: CMS staff members Rachana Bhat and Steve Graves, Riley Capuano ’26 of CMS women’s cross country and track, and Christine Yu ’27 of CMS women’s golf. Capuano participated in the NCAA Division III Student Immersion Program, a unique opportunity to engage directly with NCAA leaders and gain insights into how the association functions. Yu attended as a member of the National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which helps provide peer perspective and shape student-athlete policies.
Jasper said the convention provided valuable insight into what happens behind the scenes in college athletics, particularly in areas of governance, leadership, and student representation. It also gave Capuano and Yu the opportunity to connect with and learn from student-athletes across the country.
“Similarly, I also value the chance to engage in the Division III business sessions, participate in the legislative process, and vote on issues that directly impact our student-athletes and institutions,” Jasper said. “Equally meaningful are the opportunities to connect with athletics directors and administrators, both in formal learning environments and through the informal conversations that happen between meetings, over coffee, or at dinner.”
In addition to being present for Brissett’s award ceremony, Jasper said this year’s convention was especially meaningful because it was the final session for President Chodosh, who has been “unwavering in his support of CMS scholar-leader-athletes” and as a “leader on the NCAA President’s Council these past few years.”
“During my time at CMS, President Chodosh has taken an active and meaningful role in Division III governance—and the NCAA, the SCIAC, and CMS have all benefited from his thoughtful leadership,” Jasper said. “As we wrapped up the business session, I felt a sense of gratitude—and a bit of sadness—knowing it would be my last convention seated beside him, discussing legislation and working together in support of our scholar-leader-athletes.”