RATCLIFF, Ky. (August 15, 2026) – Rice FAME Group uncovered its HBCU Makeda Excellence Award winners for the 2025-26 season where Howard University saw nine Bison recognized. The announcement came Monday (Aug. 10).
The awards recognize exceptional athletes, coaches and band leaders from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Overall, HU led all institutions with 10 awards.
Four coaches won Coach of the Year after leading their respective programs to conference titles:
Five student-athletes took home Athlete of the Year in their respective sports:
- Marley Franklin (Los Angeles) – Women's Golf Athlete of the Year
- Alexis Jones (New Windsor, N.Y.) – Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year
- Maryn Jordan (San Diego) – Softball Athlete of the Year
- Yahnari Lyons (Hampton, Ga.) – Chain Breakerz Entertainment Athlete of the Year
- Zennia Thomas (Cleveland) – Moolah Kicks Women's Basketball Athlete of the Year
The HBCU Makeda Excellence Awards are named for Queen Makeda, the celebrated Queen of Sheba. According to tradition, she was among history's wealthiest women and her wisdom was renowned enough to challenge the legendary King Solomon of Israel. She is also credited with contributing to the growth of Solomon's wealth, which enabled him to build the first Temple.
Ethiopian tradition holds that Solomon permitted their son, Menelik I, to take the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia, where it is believed to remain. The Solomonic dynasty began with Menelik I and ruled Ethiopia until 1974.
Each recipient was selected by a majority vote of peer coaches and band directors, representing programs affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) and United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).
Voting was highly competitive in several categories, including one that resulted in a tie.
On Aug. 19, Howard Athletics kicks off the 2026-27 campaign with women's soccer hosting crosstown rival George Washington at Greene Stadium.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com and/or the Rice FAME Group website at
www.ricefame.org.
