GEORGETOWN, TEXAS - Southwestern Men's Soccer graduate Michael Grimm was announced as the 2025 SCAC Man of the Year on Thursday afternoon for his excellance as an athlete, leader, and student. The award marks a clean sweep for the Pirates for the first time in program history as Women's Track & Field graduate Arden Neff earned the SCAC Woman of the Year honor. 

The award was chosen among five other strong SCAC candidates by the senior woman administrators in the conference. Grimm and former Men's Tennis standout Alexis Dimanche (2020) are the two Pirate representatives to win the award. Athletically, Grimm served as the team captain for a successful 2024 Pirates team who finished 11-3-4, totaling the most wins since 2018. The forward racked up career-highs in goals (6), assists (8), and points (20). He's made a strong impact since the day he stepped on campus starting in 64 games with 38 total points. The accolades piled up in his senior season earning First Team All-SCAC and Second Team All-Region.

"Michael sets an incredible standard with his work ethic, perseverance, and positive attitude," said Ken Ralph, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. "Much of the success we've achieved in our program is directly due to his establishing and maintaining a positive culture in the locker room. His contributions on campus are extensive and reach far beyond athletics. We all know great things are in his future." 

Academically, Grimm maintained an impressive 3.70 GPA with a degree in business and minor in economics, snatching honors of Academic All-District, Academic All-American, and Southwestern University's Dr. Tex Kassen Male Athlete of the Year. The two-time team captain inspired his teammates to serve each other and others around the community. Grimm volunteered with Team IMPACT, where he supported and mentored a child with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Grimm and his teammates helped welcome Elias as an honorary teammate. 

"I'll never forget Elias' radiant laugh and his charismatic smile that could light up a room as he was welcomed into our team huddle for the first time," said Grimm, referencing the young man who joined the Southwestern men's soccer team through Team IMPACT in January of 2024. "From that day forward, I realized soccer was more than a sport; it was a bridge, and my time as a collegiate athlete at Southwestern University had a greater purpose."