SMU stars Mackenzie Lee and Enzo Panozzo lead the conference in athletic, academic, and community achievements.
SMU continues to shine on the national stage - not just for wins and championships, but for producing elite student-athletes.
Women’s golf star Mackenzie Lee and men’s soccer defender Enzo Panozzo have been selected to the 2026 ACC Excellence Award List, one of the conference’s highest honors recognizing graduating student-athletes who embody success in competition, academics, and community impact.
Lee’s name is already etched all over the SMU women’s golf record book. The senior owns the program’s best career scoring average at 71.56, obliterating the previous mark by nearly two strokes.
She also holds school records for career birdies, rounds at par or better, lowest single round, and lowest tournament score.
Her impact has translated directly to team success. SMU advanced to three straight NCAA Regionals during her career, including two NCAA Championship appearances.
The Mustangs finished 11th nationally in 2023, one of the best seasons in program history. Lee also played a key role in back-to-back AAC titles in 2023 and 2024 before the program’s move to the ACC.
On the global stage, she placed 11th at the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, competing against the top amateur golfers in the world.
Off the course, Lee is pursuing a degree in sport management with a 3.31 GPA.
She has earned All-ACC Academic honors and logged 21 hours of community service, volunteering with StewPot, local food pantries, the SPCA, and the Curing Kids Cancer Fire Truck Pull.
On the pitch, Panozzo has been just as steady.
The Sarasota, Florida native started every match during SMU men’s soccer’s run to its first ACC Championship last fall and helped anchor a defense that posted seven shutouts.
Across three seasons, he has appeared in 47 matches with 29 starts, adding two goals and two assists while contributing to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances - including a quarterfinal run in 2024.
Panozzo, an economics major with finance applications and a 3.27 GPA, has earned multiple All-ACC Academic selections.
He has also completed more than 40 hours of community service and was recognized by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as Athlete of the Year.
For SMU athletics, these honors reinforce what the program prides itself on ... championships in competition and excellence beyond it.