Kenyon’s Manske Tabbed 2026 Hunsinger Award Winner

CLEVELAND, OH -- Recent Kenyon College graduate and men's swimming & diving student-athlete Ethan Manske (Santa Fe, NM/St. Michaels) has been named the recipient of the 2026 North Coast Athletic Conference Don Hunsinger Award.
 
A four-year standout for the Owls, Manske established himself as one of the nation's premier swimmers in the individual medley while contributing to Kenyon's continued success on the national stage. A four-time First-Team All-American in the 400 individual medley, Manske earned NCAA finishes of fifth, third, seventh and fourth from 2023-26. He also garnered First-Team All-America recognition as a member of Kenyon's 800 freestyle relay in 2024 and 2026, while adding eight Second-Team All-America honors across the 200 butterfly, 200 backstroke and 800 free relay. Manske captured three consecutive NCAC titles in the 400 IM (2024-26) and claimed the 2026 conference championship in the 200 butterfly, earning 11 career All-NCAC certificates. A two-time team captain, he helped lead Kenyon to NCAC championships and NCAA runner-up finishes in 2023 and 2024, along with a fourth-place national finish in 2026. He also helped set the Kenyon varsity record in the 800 free relay during his senior season.
 
In the classroom, Manske graduated with a 3.97 cumulative GPA while majoring in Environmental Studies and Japanese Language with a minor in Music. He was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 2026 and earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) First-Team Academic All-America honors three consecutive years (2024-26). Manske was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, received the 2026 NCAC Scholar-Athlete Award, and was a four-time CSCAA Scholar All-American and three-time CSC Academic All-District selection. An eight-time member of the Kenyon Merit List and three-time NCAC Dr. Gordon Collins Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll honoree, he also received the Toshizo Watanabe Fellows Tuition Scholarship and Sato Foundation Scholarship to pursue advanced Japanese language studies at the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama, Japan. Beyond athletics, Manske excelled as a musician, earning recognition in Kenyon's Young Musicians Competition and receiving the college's Japanese Prize in 2025.
 
Manske's leadership extended throughout the Kenyon campus and beyond. As a Japanese teaching assistant, he developed lesson plans and led weekly language practice sessions for fellow students, while also volunteering as an English tutor for elementary school students in Japan. He served as assistant principal violist with the Knox County Symphony and volunteered with organizations including Special Olympics, Wiggins Street Elementary School and Kenyon Athletics' annual food drive. Manske also spent a summer volunteering at Turtleback Mountain Community Farm in Washington, promoting sustainable agricultural practices and food sovereignty.
 
Manske was one of five outstanding nominees considered for the selection committee. The other candidates included:
 
Robby Ballentine, Football, DePauw
Lane Kellogg, Men's Lacrosse, Wooster
Alexander Nemunaitis, Baseball, Wittenberg
Kael Shah, Men's Tennis, Denison
 
This award commemorates former Oberlin administrator and coach Don Hunsinger, who had a far-reaching influence on the athletes he coached in a wide variety of sports. Over more than three decades, Hunsinger served Oberlin as athletic director, chairman of the department of physical education, had stints as head coach for Yeoman football, baseball, and men's and women's tennis, and assisted with the men's and women's basketball programs. Four times he earned NCAC Coach of the Year recognition, twice in men's tennis and twice in women's. Hunsinger, who retired from the College in 2008, also served as the NCAC Director of Tennis through 2022.
 
The award recognizes one male senior student-athlete who has distinguished himself throughout his collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. Each conference institution can nominate a distinguished male student-athlete for the honor. A committee of North Coast Athletic Conference administrators and faculty representatives, in conjunction with the conference office, makes the selection.
 
As this year's NCAC winner, Manske will also be nominated for the Division III Commissioners Association Student-Athlete of the Year.

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