Peter Mans, one of the division's most talented players, adds another personal award to go along with Middlebury's national title
May 18, 2026 by Theresa Diffendal in Awards, News
Middlebury’s Peter Mans was named the winner of the 2026 Donovan Award Monday during halftime of the women’s championship game. He becomes the second player from Middlebury to win the award, after Leo Sovell-Fernandez in 2022.
Mans has been instrumental to Middlebury’s back-to-back trips to the national title game, stacking up an assist and three blocks in this year’s championship game to help the Pranksters secure the victory. Mans recorded the last block of the game, laying out to catch an under and firmly put away Carleton with one last break score, 15-7.
Like the 2024 winner Will Brandt, Mans is a Minnesota ultimate product, playing with the Edina High School team that won a state championship in 2022 and the Minnesota YCC team Superior that was a finalist at the Youth Club Championships. Since then he has made a name for himself in club and semi-pro, playing for Sub Zero and the Wind Chill. Mans has also racked up individual accolades, including the 2025 Player of the Year award, and was invited to the USA U20 National Team tryouts.
From his Donovan write-up:
As Pranksters captain for the past two seasons, his biggest impact was as a leader. He can only be described as consistent, focused, and effective. He makes every decision for the betterment of the team, is fair and honest in competition, and inspires his teammates to be the best they can be. We are nominating Peter because of his unwavering love and commitment to the Pranksters, on and off the field.
With over 4.3K views, Mans’ video has the most views of any of the Donovan videos from this year, and nearly 2,000 more than the second-most watched video. You can watch it below, and congratulations once again to Peter Mans on winning the 2026 Donovan Award!
