The Atlantic Coast Conference today announced the recipients of the 2026 ACC UNITE Award, which recognizes individuals who have made a meaningful and lasting impact through their commitment to unity, respect and inclusion.

Each ACC member institution may nominate up to two individuals annually, including student-athletes, staff members, alumni and members of the campus community. An initiative of the ACC’s UNITE Committee, the ACC UNITE Award is supported by all 18 member institutions. Two honorees are selected annually by the internal ACC UNITE Committee.

This year’s recipients are the University of Pittsburgh’s Penny Semaia and Syracuse University’s Oren Lyons.

“We are proud to recognize Penny Semaia and Oren Lyons as the recipients of the sixth annual ACC UNITE Award,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “Through their extraordinary leadership, service and commitment to others, Penny and Oren have positively shaped countless lives, on their campuses, in their communities and far beyond. Their example reflects the values at the heart of the ACC—respect for one another, an appreciation for our differences and a shared responsibility to create opportunity for all.”

Penny Semaia – University of Pittsburgh

For nearly two decades, Penny Semaia shaped the student-athlete experience at the University of Pittsburgh through a steadfast commitment to ensuring every person felt seen, valued and supported. A four-time letterwinner on the Panthers’ offensive and defensive lines from 2000–03, Semaia also held multiple leadership positions within Pitt’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and served as a Freshman Peer Counselor.

In 2005, Semaia became Pitt’s first Career and Life Skills Coordinator for Student-Athletes. From that single role, he developed one of the nation’s most respected student-athlete development programs, eventually leading a staff of 10 as senior associate athletic director for student life in the Cathy and John Pelusi Family Life Skills Program. Under his leadership, Pitt student-athletes received support in financial education, career and graduate school preparation, community service, etiquette, leadership and personal development.

Semaia’s influence extended nationally through service on the NCAA Mental Health Task Force and Student-Athlete Affairs Advisory Group, as well as through his work facilitating leadership conferences and providing life-skills training through the Fa’a Samoa Initiative in American Samoa. His service earned the University of Pittsburgh Chancellor’s Award for Staff Excellence in the Community, the City of Pittsburgh’s Citizen Service Award and the Herb Douglas Mentorship Award. Now vice president of stadium relations for the Buffalo Bills, Semaia’s lasting impact at Pitt is reflected in the programs he built, the staff he mentored and the countless student-athletes he empowered through his signature “high-five and a smile” approach.

Oren Lyons – Syracuse University

Oren R. Lyons ’58, H’93, Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation, is one of the world’s foremost Indigenous leaders and a Syracuse lacrosse legend. An All-American goalkeeper, Lyons helped anchor the Orange’s undefeated 1957 team alongside Jim Brown after learning the game—known as the “medicine game”—within the Onondaga Nation. He later founded the Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse program and remains its honorary chairman, helping establish the first sovereign Indigenous team to compete in international sport.

Lyons’ extraordinary lacrosse legacy includes induction into the Syracuse University Sports Hall of Fame, National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame and National Native American Hall of Fame. In 2023, he was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame as a Builder for his role in founding the Haudenosaunee Nationals. He also helped bring the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship to the Onondaga Nation and Syracuse, returning the sport to the community where it originated. His legacy is further honored by a life-size statue on the Syracuse campus and the American Lacrosse Association championship trophy that bears his name.

Beyond athletics, Lyons has devoted more than five decades to advancing Indigenous rights, environmental protection and greater understanding among peoples and nations. He served for more than 14 years on the United Nations Indigenous Peoples’ Human Rights Commission, helped establish the UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples and served as a Distinguished Service Professor at SUNY Buffalo. An accomplished artist, author and advocate, Lyons has also played a key role in preserving and sharing Haudenosaunee history and culture. In 2025, Syracuse University Libraries received custodianship of the Oren Lyons Collection, creating a lasting resource to support Indigenous civil rights work, environmental advocacy, and future generations of scholars and students.

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