General | 6/4/2026 12:00:00 PM

Oberlin, Ohio – Eight members of Oberlin College's varsity athletics teams have been inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation's oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. 

This year's scholar-athlete inductees span a wide range of academic backgrounds and sports. Anna Fritz, Zeynep Kaya, Meena Lee, Sebastien Naginski, Lily Najmulski, Liam Newman, Marisa Tayal, and Nathan Thompson will join the elite membership that includes 17 U.S. Presidents, 42 Supreme Court Justices, more than 150 Nobel Laureates, and Oberlin's President Carmen Twillie Ambar.

Fritz was a four-year athlete on the track & field team, holding both the indoor and outdoor long jump program records. Graduating with a 4.08 GPA in Neuroscience, the Oberlin native is a two-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) performer and earned a pair of U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honors this year. 

Earning the Norman J. Goldring Award for producing a 4.09 GPA, the highest among 2026 graduates from a women's team, Kaya was a four-year outside hitter on the volleyball team. Earning All-NCAC Third-Team honors in 2024, the Neuroscience major has also earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District and NCAC Academic Honor Roll selections. 

A Sociology and Environmental Studies double major with a 4.04 GPA, Lee was a four-year member of the women's soccer team. Finishing second on the team with three goals in 2025, including a pair of game-winning goals, the Chicago native concluded her career with 2,606 minutes and a CSC Academic All-District honor from 2025. 

Naginski was a four-year member of the men's tennis team, earning degrees in history and economics and graduating with a 4.01 GPA. Landing a spot on the All-NCAC Second-Team in doubles play in 2024, Naginski was a three-time CSC Academic All-District honoree. 

Graduating with a 4.08 in Biology, Najmulski was a four-year member of the women's basketball team. A two-time CSC Academic All-District selection, the Colorado native finished her career with 666 points, 142 three-pointers, 273 rebounds, 191 assists, 104 appearances, and 73 starts. 

A Law and Society and Politics double major with a 3.96 GPA, Newman was a 12-season student-athlete, competing in cross country, indoor, and outdoor track & field all four years of his Oberlin tenure. Between cross country and track, the Washington native is a six-time All-NCAC and three-time USTFCCCA All-Region athlete. 

A member of the cross country and track & field teams, Tayal was a dual-degree student, graduating with degrees in Violin Performance and Psychology with a 4.05 GPA. A Columbus native, Tayal is a three-time NCAC Academic Honor Roll recipient.

Graduating with a 4.11 GPA in Financial Economics, Thompson received the Norman J. Goldring Award for delivering the highest GPA among 2026 graduates from a men's program. A four-year member of the men's soccer team, the Ohio native recorded 3,964 minutes over his career, earning All-NCAC Third-Team honors in 2024 and CSC Academic All-District laurels in 2023. 

Phi Beta Kappa celebrates and recognizes the top liberal arts scholars and stands for Φιλοσοφία Βίου Κυβερνήτης, which means "the love of learning is the guide of life." The society has chapters in over 290 U.S. colleges and universities, and about ten percent of students at these institutions are invited to join.

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