BenAvram named D3CA Regional Male Student-Athlete of the Year

WALTHAM, Mass. — Recent Brandeis University graduate Lev BenAvram of Bethesda, Maryland, and the boys’s fencing workforce, has been chosen because the Region II winner of the Division III Commissioner’s Association (D3CA) Student-Athlete of the Year for males’s sports activities, it was introduced final week.

BenAvram was named the Division III Saber Fencer of the Year this 12 months by the United States Fencing Coaches Association, incomes the award for the second 12 months in a row. He additionally earned his fourth profession Division III All-America honor. BenAvram was additionally named an All-Division All-American for the second time, touchdown on the second workforce with a fifth-place end on the NCAA National College Championships on the University of Notre Dame final March. He was Brandeis’s departmental Rookie of the Year in 2023 and was the Harry, Joseph, and Ida Stein winner as excellent male athlete in 2026. 

“Lev epitomizes the spirit of Div III athletics, with his consistent ability to lock in on his dreams on and off the playing surface,” mentioned head coach Elif Soyer Sachs. “He is proof that a quality Division III athletic program can serve as a scaffold for the hopes and dreams of an elite athlete while also supporting their academic goals and endeavors. I have no doubt that Lev will continue to lead by example in his life beyond Brandeis.” 

In the classroom, BenAvram is a two-time College Sports Communicators’ Academic All-American. He graduated cum laude with a 3.77 GPA as a enterprise and Near Eastern and Judaic Studies double main. He was energetic on campus in enterprise and Jewish-life golf equipment whereas volunteering with Friends of Sanctuary Uganda, which was based by younger members of the Jewish group in 2019. The group gives women who’ve been orphaned or are in any other case susceptible in Mbale, Uganda with a secure residence, schooling, and alternatives for long-term success. BenAvram was additionally energetic on campus, taking part in Fail Faster, Fail Smarter Entrepreneur Program this previous 12 months and Shalom Brandeis Radio for 3 years. BenAvram can be a competitor on the nationwide and worldwide stage, at present rating sixth within the United States in saber based on US Fencing.

“I was already competing at a level where Division I was a real option. During my visit to Brandeis, then-head coach Jennie Salmon gave me advice I’ve never forgotten,” BenAvram mentioned as a part of his nomination. “‘You have to love wherever you go. If you get injured or stop fencing, it still has to be your home.’ Those conversations changed the way I thought about choosing a college. I stopped asking, ‘Where can I become the best fencer,’ and started asking, ‘Where can I become the best version of myself.’ I wasn’t looking for a college experience that revolved solely around my sport. I wanted professors who would challenge me, classmates who would broaden my perspective, and teammates who would become lifelong friends. I wanted an education that would help me become a stronger thinker, leader, and person because I believed those qualities would ultimately make me a better athlete. Looking back, I never had to choose between becoming an elite athlete and becoming a whole person. Each made the other possible. Brandeis became the place where I discovered not only the athlete I could become, but the person I hope to be for the rest of my life.” 

The D3CA Regional Athlete of the Year awards, now of their fourth 12 months, acknowledge graduating seniors who’ve demonstrated excellence in athletics, lecturers, management, and repair all through their collegiate careers.

Each regional winner now advances to the nationwide poll for the DIIICA Men’s Sport Student-Athlete of the Year and D3CA Women’s Sport Student-Athlete of the Year awards, which might be introduced subsequent month. Graduating seniors had been the one student-athletes eligible for nomination. Each convention was permitted to submit as much as two nominees for every gendered award, offered at the least one was a world pupil or from an ethnic minority background. Selection was based mostly on 4 key areas: Academic Achievement, Athletic Excellence, Service and Leadership, Personal Statement

Voting happened amongst commissioners inside every of the ten Division III areas. The prime female and male honorees in every area might be thought of for the 2 nationwide awards.

The full record of award winners is offered right here: https://nacda.com/news/2026/8/26/division-iii-commissioners-association-diiica-announces-2025-26-regional-student-athlete-of-the-year-honorees.aspx