NEW LONDON, Conn. --

On Sunday after the NEWMAC Men's Soccer Championship, Michael Porter (Baltimore, Md.) was named the 2026 recipient of the Laurels of Academic Excellence award. He is the first Coast Guard cadet to win the award.

Porter, an operations research & data analytics major, won the award as the man with the highest GPA across all competitors in the championship. He is a three-time NEWMAC All-Academic recipient, has made the Dean's list every semester at the Academy, and started every game for the Bears this season. 

Congratulations to Michael for this award and for the Bears on an outstanding season!