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KINGSTON, R.I. - Rhode Island's women's basketball and football teams were the big winners at the 2026 Rammys, combining to win 11 awards at the annual URI athletics awards ceremony.

Senior Ines Debroise was a two-time winner for the women's basketball team, claiming both the Female Ram of the Year and the Winifred B. Keaney Award as the most outstanding graduating female student-athlete who has been a role model in her collegiate career and has maintained good academic standing.

The women's basketball team won the Rammy for Female Team Moment of the Year after a record-breaking 2025-26 season. The team won both the Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament titles, set the program records for most victories (28) and longest winning streak (17) and earned its first NCAA Championship bid in 30 years.

The URI football team won five awards, including Male Team Moment of the Year. With a home victory over Hampton, the football team won its second straight CAA Football title, winning back-to-back titles for the first time since 1984 and 1985. The team earned the ninth seed in the FCS Playoffs and advancing to the second round for the second year in a row.

The annual awards show - put on by URI's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee - included 12 Rammy awards. Each of the Rammys were voted on by student-athlete representatives for each of URI's varsity teams. In addition, there were four senior awards voted on by the entire athletic department staff. Three more student-athletes were honored with the department's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award.

Below are each of the winners from this year's awards show:

2026 Rammy Awards
Breakthrough Ram - Palmire Mbu, Women's Basketball
Mbu averaged 11 points per game after averaging 4.1 the year before. She was an Atlantic 10 Third-Team All-Conference selection and was a key reason the team made the NCAA Championship field for the first time in 30 years. She was second on the team in scoring and rebounding while leading Rhody to regular season and conference tournament titles.

New Ram (Male) - Antwain Littleton, Jr., Football
Littleton rushed for 1,234 yards - the fourth-highest single-season total in program history. He also set the program record with 14 rushing touchdowns and he scored 96 points this season, the second most in a season in program history. He was a CAA Football Second-Team All-Conference selection while leading the Rams to their second straight conference title.

New Ram (Female) - Nika Jacobs, Soccer
A transfer from Iowa State, Jacobs played in all 21 matches and logged 1,440 minutes of playing time. She had the game-winning goal against in-state rival Providence plus a goal in a win over Fordham. Nika also had an assist against Davidson. Her play was a big reason Rhody reached the Atlantic 10 Championship game and finished the season in the top 50 of the NCAA Women's Soccer RPI

Heart of the Ram - Albina Syla, Women's Basketball
Syla was recognized for being a disciplined teammate who always leads through her work ethic. A team captain for the Atlantic 10 champion women's basketball team, she not only brings energy to the team on the court, but off the court as well. She shows her Heart-of-The-Ram qualities by supporting a variety of her fellow student-athletes at various URI sporting events.

Ram of Steel (Male) - Thomas Buxton, Football
Ram of Steel (Female) - Sophia Vital, Basketball
The Ram of Steel award winers are chosen by the Strength and Conditioning coaches to recognize the student-athletes who show dedication and leadership in the weight room throughout the year.

Community Spotlight - Irma Accius, Women's Rowing
Accius was recognized for being a very enthusiastic teammate who provides the program with great leadership. She is the women's rowing representative for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. She possesses a mindset that values growth, and she puts a lot of time and effort into advancing the women's rowing program.

Ram of the Year (Male) - AJ Pena, Football
Pena was the CAA Football Defensive Player of the Year after leading Rhody to its second straight conference title. He was a consensus All-American and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award for the top defensive player in all of FCS Football. He set a program record with four sacks against UAlbany, and his set the program record with 38 career sacks, breaking a record that stood for nearly 30 years.

Ram of the Year (Female) - Ines Debroise, Basketball
Debroise is a two-time Atlantic 10 Champion and three-year captain for women's basketball. She is the all-time winningest player in program history, leading the team to 92 wins over the last four years. She was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team this season. Ines is a trusted leader on and off the court. She is an unselfish person, and anyone can go to her to ask about anything at any time.

Team Moment of the Year (Male) - Football
With a home victory over Hampton, the football team won its second straight CAA Football title, winning back-to-back titles for the first time since 1984 and 1985. In a season filled with pressure and expectation, the team responded all year long, earning the ninth seed in the FCS Playoffs and advancing to the second round for the second year in a row. It marked a culture shift within the program toward sustained excellence for Rhode Island football.

Team Moment of the (Female) - Basketball
The women's basketball team capped off an unbelievable season by becoming the Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament champions. They set programs records for most victories with 28 and longest winning streak with 17 straight victories. They recorded a win over then-No. 16 North Carolina State and also earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship for the first time in 30 years.

Comeback Ram of the Year - Daniel Goba, Men's Soccer
Goba's first season with the men's soccer team was interrupted when doctors discovered a brain tumor that required immediate surgery. It was a huge moment when he returned to full training in February and played 30 minutes in the team's first Spring match against Bryant.

Rhody Cup: Recognizes the team that best exhibits Rhody spirit, commitment to the community, and academic excellence by accumulating points for attendance at RAM Games and SAAC meetings, participation in community service, and improved Team grade-point average
Women's Rowing

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award: Recognizes outstanding student-athletes whose creativity, determination, and entrepreneurial spirit have set them apart.
Brinley Myers, Women's Lacrosse
Adam Melnick, Men's Track and Field
Connor Froberg, Men's Soccer

2026 Senior Awards
Elizabeth Holmes Award: Recognizes the most outstanding graduating student-athletes who have combined exceptional scholastic achievement with outstanding athletic ability.
Male - Andre DePina-Gray, Football
The 2025 CAA Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year, DePina-Gray earned his degree in Sports Media and Communications while earning a 3.92 grade-point average. He is now working on a master's degree in Communications. A starting safety on back-to-back CAA Football championship teams, he led the Rams to FCS postseason bids in 2024 and 2025, the first postseason bids in nearly four decades. He is a Rhode Island State House Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and this season earned CAA Football All-Conference Honorable Mention after recorded 55 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one pass break up, one fumble recovery and one interception.

Female - Sophie Herrman, Women's Tennis
A two-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection and two-time Academic All-Conference selection, Sophie is tied for fifth in program history with 57 career doubles wins. She also is 14th in team history with 45 career singles wins. A two-time A-10 Player of the Week, Herrman Led the team to 15 wins in 2024-25, the second most in a season in program history. She has a 4.0 grade-point average in Cell and Molecular Biology, with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. She also is an undergraduate Research Assistant and STEM tutor.

Winifred B. Keaney Award: Recognizes the most outstanding graduating female student-athlete who has been a role model in her collegiate career and has maintained good academic standing.
Ines Debrois, Women's Basketball
The all-time winningest player in program history, Debroise led the Rams to a record of 92-42 over the last four seasons. A three-year captain, she led Rhody to the Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament titles this year as URI earned its first NCAA Championship bid in 30 years. Ines also led the Rams to two WNIT appearances and was named to the 2026 Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team as part of a defense that ranked sixth nationally, allowing just 54.2 points per game. Ines is URI's all-time leader with 130 games played and is second in program history with 399 assists.

Albert LeBoeuf Award: Recognizes the most outstanding graduating male student-athlete who has been a role model in his collegiate career and has maintained good academic standing.
Jack Hopko, Baseball
One of the best hitters in program history, Hopko was an Atlantic 10 First Team All-Conference pick in 2025 as he led team to the regular-season and conference tournament titles. He is second in program history with 40 career home runs and also is top 10 all-time in runs batted in. Last season, he led the country in RBI with a program-record 83. Hopko is one of only three players in program history with three or more home runs in a single game. This season he leads the team in home runs and is second in RBI. He was a 2025 Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference selection and is a four-time URI Presidential Scholarship recipient.