RICHMOND, Va. - William & Mary women's swimming senior Sophia Heilen and men's track & field senior Matthias Oettl were honored by the CAA as Institutional Scholar-Athletes of the Year on Thursday.

The CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year program recognizes one male and one female honoree from each of the 14 league institutions, and from those institutional Scholar-Athletes of the Year, selects one Male and one Female CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  For the 2025-26 academic year, the winners were Elon men's soccer student-athlete Jackson Leavitt and Charleston women's golfer Adrian Anderson.

Heilen is a six-time CAA Champion and helped lead the Tribe to the CAA team title this past season. She won the 200 breaststroke at each of the last two CAA Championships and was the silver medalist in the 100 breaststroke this season. In 2023, Heilen won individual CAA Championships in the 100 and 200 butterfly events, while swimming legs on the winning 200 and 400 medley relays. She was named the CAA Rookie of the Year for her efforts and holds the W&M school records in the 50 butterfly, 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, and 200 breaststroke.

Academically, Heilen will earned her degree from W&M in data science in May. She is a four-time W&M Provost Award winner and was named to the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll each of her seasons on campus, including with distinction honors following the fall semester. Heilen was a CSCAA Scholar All-America Second Team following the 2023-24 season.
 
Oettl has competed in multi events for the Tribe track and field program. At the 2025 CAA Outdoor Championships, he finished fourth in the javelin and fifth in the decathlon. Oettl placed ninth in the pentathlon at the 2026 CAA Indoor Championships. His heptathlon total in 2025 ranked among the top 50 in the region during the indoor season.
 
Oettl will earned his degree from W&M in finance from the Raymond A. Mason School of Business in May. He is a four-time W&M Provost Award winner and has been selected to the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll each semester on campus. In 2024, he was a CSC Academic All-District selection.

W&M Institutional Scholar-Athletes of the Year
2025-26 - Sophia Heilen, Swimming; Matthias Oettl, Cross Country/Track & Field
2024-25 – Arianna DeBoer, Cross Country/Track & Field; Ben Parker, Baseball
2023-24 – Jayden Moon, Field Hockey; Conor Sokolowsky, Swimming*
2022-23 – Sarah Houle, Golf; Cole Ragone, Baseball
2021-22 – Missy Cundiff Matthias Oettl; Ethan Mangum, Golf
2020-21 - Madeline High, Swimming; Evan Goodell, Cross Country & Track & Field
2019-20 - Cassidy Goodwin, Field Hockey; Brandon Raquet, Baseball
2018-19 - Claire Williams, Swimming *; Julian Ngoh, Soccer
2017-18 - Erin Menges, Field Hockey; Paul Rowley, Basketball **; Bodie Sheehan, Baseball
* Overall Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year
** Overall Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year and also CAA Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year