Nicole Allen, Red Murdock Named SUNY Scholar Athletes of the Year
8/5/2026 1:41:00 PM | Football, General, Softball, Office of Student-Athlete Success
BUFFALO, NY - University at Buffalo softball standout Nicole Allen and former football standout Red Murdock were named the 2025-26 NCAA Division I State University of New York Female and Male Scholar Athletes of the Year, as announced by SUNY on Wednesday.
Allen became just the fourth Bulls in program history to earn NFCA First-Team All-Northeast Region honors. She set the single season program record with 80 hits that has stood since the 2015 season. Her 80 hits ranked 13th in the country and second in the MAC at the conclusion of the regular season. The Penfield, N.Y. native racked up a .421 batting average which is top five in program history in a single season. Allen's batting average was fourth in the league and 73rd in college softball. The outfielder led the league with 28 multi-hit performances on the season. Tallying 93 total bases, she drove in 38 runs as she scored 50 runs of her own. From the dish she recorded a .489 slugging percentage and .932 OPS. The sophomore earned First-Team All-MAC honors in her first season. Defensively, the right fielder had 88 putouts and a .989 fielding percentage.
Murdock was a first team ALL MAC selection for the second straight season. The graduate linebacker led the MAC and ranked second in the nation in tackles with 142. It was the eighth-best single-season tackle total in program history. He added 13.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and six forced fumbles. He finished his career by setting the NCAA record for career forced fumbles with 17. He was named 2nd Team All-American by the AP. He was named a finalist for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy recognizing an individual as the best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. Two-time Academic All MAC. Named to the Named to the 2025 AFCA Good Works Team, Murdock founded and directs the Virginia Homework Helpers program, a free K–12 tutoring initiative supporting students in his home state. He also volunteers regularly with UB Athletics at community service events. He was selected as the last pick in the NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, earning the recognition of Mr. Irrelevant.
More than 14,000 student-athletes compete at SUNY institutions representing 53 different colleges and universities at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III/USCAA and NJCAA levels and are eligible for these awards. For more information on divisional winners click here.
Click here for information on the Bulls Championship Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
Allen became just the fourth Bulls in program history to earn NFCA First-Team All-Northeast Region honors. She set the single season program record with 80 hits that has stood since the 2015 season. Her 80 hits ranked 13th in the country and second in the MAC at the conclusion of the regular season. The Penfield, N.Y. native racked up a .421 batting average which is top five in program history in a single season. Allen's batting average was fourth in the league and 73rd in college softball. The outfielder led the league with 28 multi-hit performances on the season. Tallying 93 total bases, she drove in 38 runs as she scored 50 runs of her own. From the dish she recorded a .489 slugging percentage and .932 OPS. The sophomore earned First-Team All-MAC honors in her first season. Defensively, the right fielder had 88 putouts and a .989 fielding percentage.
Murdock was a first team ALL MAC selection for the second straight season. The graduate linebacker led the MAC and ranked second in the nation in tackles with 142. It was the eighth-best single-season tackle total in program history. He added 13.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and six forced fumbles. He finished his career by setting the NCAA record for career forced fumbles with 17. He was named 2nd Team All-American by the AP. He was named a finalist for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy recognizing an individual as the best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. Two-time Academic All MAC. Named to the Named to the 2025 AFCA Good Works Team, Murdock founded and directs the Virginia Homework Helpers program, a free K–12 tutoring initiative supporting students in his home state. He also volunteers regularly with UB Athletics at community service events. He was selected as the last pick in the NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, earning the recognition of Mr. Irrelevant.
More than 14,000 student-athletes compete at SUNY institutions representing 53 different colleges and universities at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III/USCAA and NJCAA levels and are eligible for these awards. For more information on divisional winners click here.
Click here for information on the Bulls Championship Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
LB
/ FootballWednesday, August 05
Tuesday, August 04
Thursday, July 23
Friday, July 10
