GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Audrey Ryu and Diego Hernandez have been named Furman's 2025-26 Edna Hartness Female Athlete of the Year and Frank Selvy Male Athlete of the Year, respectively, it was announced on Wednesday morning.
"Congratulations to Audrey and Diego on being named Furman's Female and Male Athletes of the Year," said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Jason Donnelly. "They have distinguished themselves through extraordinary athletic achievement, academic excellence, and leadership, making them outstanding representatives of Furman University. During one of the most successful years in the history of Furman Athletics, we were fortunate to have many deserving candidates for these prestigious awards. Audrey and Diego are incredibly worthy recipients, and we are equally proud of the many student-athletes whose collective accomplishments made this a truly historic year for our department."
The reigning Southern Conference Female Athlete of the Year, Ryu, a junior from Dublin, Ohio, earned her second-consecutive Furman athlete of the year honor after repeating as SoCon individual medalist and leading the Paladins to their second-consecutive league title. The 2026 SoCon Women's Golfer of the Year, she was the highest ranked player in the league and led the Paladins with a 72.73 stroke average over 33 rounds. Ryu earned her third-straight all-conference scroll and appeared at the NCAA regionals for the third-straight year.
Ryu, who ranks third in Paladin history behind only former SoCon Female Athletes of the Year Anna Morgan and Natalie Srinivasan with a 72.86 career stroke average over 101 rounds, holds the SoCon tournament low-round record of 66. She earned three SoCon Player of the Week awards this year and has eight career league player of the week scrolls. She recorded six top-11 finishes in 11 events during the 2025-26 season, including a sixth-place finish at the Valspar Augusta Invitational and a seventh-place finish at the Cougar Classic and led Furman to five top-5 team finishes during her junior campaign.
A concert pianist and a biology major with a 3.96 GPA, Ryu, who published computational chemistry research at Furman, previously worked under Prisma Hospital's Institute of Translational Oncology Research and is currently working with Prisma Health on cancer pathology clinical research. She was selected to the CSC Academic All-District Team, WGCA All-America Scholar Team, SoCon Academic All-Conference Team, SoCon Academic Honor Roll, and Furman Dean's List.
Hernandez guided the Furman men's soccer team to a 16-2-5 record, Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles, the school's first NCAA College Cup appearance, and a No. 3 final national ranking during the 2025 season. The junior midfielder captured SoCon Player of the Year honors, first team All-SoCon accolades, and SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player laurels while leading the Paladins to their second-straight league title and NCAA Tournament berth.
Following Furman's run to the national semifinals, Hernandez was named United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American, Top Drawer Soccer Best XI, and a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, which is given annually to the top player in NCAA Division I soccer. The Mesquite, Texas, native was ranked No. 2 in Top Drawer Soccer's postseason list of the top 100 players in the country.
On the field, Hernandez concluded the 2025 season with a team-high 10 goals and a league-best nine assists. A starter in all 23 matches, he helped Furman defeat Western Michigan, advance past Hofstra on penalty kicks, and down national power Portland in the NCAA quarterfinals before falling to eventual national champion Washington, 3-1, at the College Cup.
The late Edna Hartness, along with her husband, Tom Hartness, were major Furman University benefactors and early advocates and supporters of Paladin women's athletics. Frank Selvy '54 was a two-time All-American basketball player, NCAA scoring champion, and 1954 NCAA Player of the Year.
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