ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF SPORTSMANSHIP COMMEMORATES ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH HONOREES FROM COAST-TO-COAST INCLUDING THE FIRST WOMAN UMPIRE IN MLB
ST. LOUIS – October 29, 2025 – For 20 years, the Musial Awards has stood for selflessness, kindness, and character in competition, and the class of 2025 Musial Awards recipients proves those traits never go out of style. With Olympic Champion and figure skating icon Kristi Yamaguchi headlining as the Stan Musial Lifetime Achievement Award for Sportsmanship recipient, the Musial Awards presented by Maryville University will recognize the year’s greatest moments of sportsmanship and honorees representing all levels of sport.
Along with the Lifetime Achievement Award, the other special honor at the Musial Awards is the Musial Award for Extraordinary Character which recognizes an individual who demonstrates remarkable class, perseverance, and overall sportsmanship. This year, no one is more deserving of an award celebrating extraordinary character than Jen Pawol, whose determination, poise, and courage led her to become the first woman to umpire in a Major League Baseball game on August 9 in Atlanta.
Pawol will accept the honor at the 2025 Musial Awards on Saturday, November 22 at Stifel Theatre in Downtown St. Louis. The event will be packaged into a one-hour special airing throughout the nation on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ December 28.
In addition to Yamaguchi and Pawol, this year’s show will have the audience inspired by a six-year-old jiu-jitsu competitor, heartened by the actions of a trio of young baseball players, and hope restored by the generosity of a college basketball student-athlete, among other uplifting stories of civility and sportsmanship. Also, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Musial Awards, a few of the memorable honorees from the past will be welcomed back to the Musial Awards stage.
The St. Louis Sports Commission and National Sportsmanship Foundation, the producers of the Musial Awards, are proud to announce the full lineup of recipients, representing all areas of the country – from Arkansas, Arizona, California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Washington D.C. Here are the recipients of the 2025 Musial Awards:
Zander Alcala: Six-year-old Zander Alcala knows what it feels like to lose. That’s why when he took first place in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament this summer in Dallas, Zander invited the competitors who finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th to join him on the top spot on the podium. He did this because he knows there is sadness that accompanies losing, especially when one works hard at something. Zander had experienced losing, and he understands the importance of respect and inclusion, having started jiu-jitsu classes as a way of learning self-defense to ward off bullies.
Zander’s father captured his moment of pure sportsmanship with his cell phone and later posted the video on TikTok. The video went viral with more than 27 million views. It earned more than 5 million likes, hundreds of thousands of re-shares, and now, a Musial Award for Zander, who is the event’s youngest-ever honoree.
American Fork (Utah) High School Football Team: The scenes at a high school football game are vivid in the minds of millions across the country…immortalized by pop culture phenomena like Friday Night Lights and Remember the Titans. Packed bleachers, mascots, cheerleaders, and a marching band delivering the soundtrack for the evening. All that pageantry is expected on gridirons across the United States. So what happens when that marching band performs in its own competition? For American Fork High School in Utah, it means the football team dressing in its jerseys and filling the stands to cheer on the band.
American Fork football coach Aaron Behm has his team show up to support the school’s band each year during the annual Mt. Timpanogos Marching Band Invitational in an extraordinary role reversal. Behm recognized the hard work and practice the band puts into its performances were comparable to that of his football team – but without the fanfare and community support the football team enjoys at its games. “When we’re working early in the morning and lifting weights, I see the band,” Coach Behm says. “They’re on the field, playing, marching, working out. They devote as much time as we do. They support us and add a huge part to the Friday night. I don’t know if we add to the atmosphere at their events, but we see how hard they work and wanted a way to acknowledge that.”
Darren “Jun” Buchanan, Jr.: The perception of “entitled college athlete” is prevalent in the age of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) endorsements, the no-restrictions transfer portal, and fame achieved through national television coverage that many college athletes in high-profile sports enjoy today. So, it is noticeable when one such college star uses his fame and fortune to benefit others instead of himself. Rutgers basketball player Darren Buchanan decided to do just that starting in his sophomore season at George Washington University (he later transferred to Rutgers), using NIL money to host a basketball camp for youth in the Washington D.C. area where he grew up. His efforts grew from there as he used his NIL funds to organize a back-to-school drive giving away 120 book bags filled with school supplies, while also providing free haircuts, hair braiding, manicures, an ice cream machine, and other fun activities for disadvantaged youth. He later used NIL money to serve as a secret Santa for D.C. area families and to serve meals to the homeless at Thanksgiving.
James Buchanan, Vinny Haire, and Zander Pedersen: The three boys were attending their first Little League practice of the season when they spotted Olivia Chavez, a girl with Down Syndrome, on the playground by herself. When James, Vinny, and Zander walked over, Olivia immediately put her hands up and they instinctively grabbed her hands and formed a circle. Olivia, who is unable to express herself through words, then began leading a game of Ring Around the Rosie with the three young baseball players and the boys happily played along. Olivia’s mom, Mandy Mulligan, watched nearby, at first nervous about how Olivia might act, then touched by the genuine interaction between the boys whom they’d never met and her daughter. An impromptu 10-minute playdate ensued, and now a lasting friendship has blossomed, demonstrating how a simple act of inclusion can have a powerful impact.
Kaylee Montgomery: In the final meet of her high school cross country career, at the state meet no less, Kaylee approached the finish line with a personal record in sight. As she drew closer, thoughts of a PR went by the wayside as Kaylee saw a competitor on the ground, crawling to the finish. Other runners had passed by Julia Witherington with their eyes on the prize – but not Kaylee. Although Kaylee and Julia had never met, Kaylee stopped, bent down and encouraged Julia to continue. Unable to get up on her own, Kaylee helped Julia to her feet and Julia threw her arm around Kaylee as the pair made their way to the finish line together. “If she hadn’t stopped and picked me up,” Witherington said, “I would have been crawling across the line.”
Jen Pawol: A longtime baseball fan and softball player, Jen Pawol followed up her playing career by umpiring college softball to fund a master’s degree. It wasn’t until she attended a Major League Baseball umpire camp in 2015 that the fuse was lit – “I realized that maybe I could be a major league umpire,” Pawol said. “I just went for it.” She worked through the minor leagues for a decade, enduring hard travel and inevitable arguments with managers, and finally got the call-up during the 2025 season making her Major League debut as the first base umpire for an Atlanta Braves home game against the Miami Marlins. The moment was not lost on the crowd at Truist Park, which gave her a standing ovation, while many of the Braves and Marlins players congratulated her. She worked home plate the next night and was assigned as a roving umpire for more games before the end of the regular season. Pawol hopes her next leap is to make a regular MLB umpiring crew. She embraces her role model status as her hard work to realize a dream has blazed a trail for women and girls to follow.
Jameson Pennings: The 9-year-old Philadelphia Phillies fan attended a Phillies-Mets game in September with a goal to come home with a game-used baseball. Jameson and his dad sat in seats along the third base line close to where the ball girl is situated – prime territory to have a foul ball tossed into the crowd. Sure enough, at the end of the fifth inning, the Phillies ball girl received the ball from the last out of the inning and tossed it to Jameson. Mission accomplished.
The next inning, Jameson heard a woman from the next section talking to the ball girl to ask if she could get the next ball for her mom, who was at the game celebrating her 80th birthday. Jameson thought to himself, if she didn’t get the next ball, he would give his to the woman. As the game entered the 9th inning and the woman did not get a ball, Jameson kept the promise he made himself and handed the ball he had coveted to the woman celebrating her 80th birthday, Donna Morey. Morey was amazed and touched by the gesture. Jameson said it felt good to give the ball away to someone who would truly treasure it. He will go to more games and get more baseballs – it was more important to Jameson to make someone else’s day rather than enjoy the ball for himself.
Kristi Yamaguchi: As graceful and talented as anyone on the ice, Yamaguchi exceeded her gold medal accomplishments in figure skating with a dynamic philanthropy and enormous positive impact on young people following her career. Her determination to reach the pinnacle of her craft, the way she carried herself in competition, and her penchant for uplifting others make Yamaguchi a most deserving recipient of the 2025 Stan Musial Lifetime Achievement Award for Sportsmanship. The most prestigious recognition for sportsmanship, the award celebrates iconic sports figures who have embodied class, dignity, generosity, integrity, and excellence throughout their lives and careers.
20th Anniversary: In addition to the 2025 class of Musial Awards honorees, some of the notable Musial Award recipients from the past 20 years will make an encore appearance at the show, commemorating the 20th anniversary. Among the returning honorees will be Florida State University softball coach Lonni Alameda (2018), Laila Anderson (2019), Henry Frasca (2019), Chloe Grimes (2022), and Ty Koehn (2018).
MUSIAL AWARDS TICKETS:
Tickets for the 2025 Musial Awards, ranging from $11 to $48, are on sale through Ticketmaster. In addition to individual awards show tickets, the Musial Awards offers a special Honoree Circle ticket, which includes a seat in the orchestra level, a pass to the Musial Awards After Party, and reserved parking for $150. All-inclusive packages and sponsorships are also available. More information and a link to purchase tickets is available at MusialAwards.com/tickets. Groups of 10 or more can take advantage of special group pricing by calling 314-345-5144.
Show time for the 2025 Musial Awards is 7 p.m.
MORE ON THE MUSIALS:
The Musial Awards presented by Maryville University is produced by the St. Louis Sports Commission and the National Sportsmanship Foundation, a charitable nonprofit organization. In addition to keeping Stan The Man’s legacy alive, the mission of the Musial Awards is to encourage kindness, selflessness, integrity and civility in sports and society – and to inspire people across the nation to be good sports. The event has occurred in St. Louis since 2005. Maryville University has served as the presenting sponsor since 2011. The school’s involvement, leadership and generosity have helped make the Musial Awards the most inspiring night in sports®.