Student Athlete

Soccer opened doors for Fernando Carreon Garcia, taking him from elite youth academies in Mexico to George Mason University, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Systems and Industrial Engineering. 

For most student-athletes, the work happens behind the scenes. Early-morning lifts, long days of classes, hours on the court, and weekends spent traveling to competitions are rarely seen by anyone outside the team. For George Mason University women's tennis senior Cenan Liu, sharing that experience has become part of her story.

Computer science major and tennis player Shivaani Ganesh chose George Mason University for its strong academics, diverse Northern Virginia community, and competitive athletic opportunities, and has since leveraged her passion for technology to excel.

The Special Olympics Virginia Area 26 Volleyball Team can often be found in the stands at the Recreation Athletic Complex (RAC) on the Fairfax Campus, cheering on George Mason University’s men's volleyball team. Recently, a group of Patriots returned the favor, joining the Area 26 athletes on their home court and volunteering at the Warhawks Team's practice at Van Dyck Park in Fairfax. 

Growing up, Michael Marcus Jr.’s family had an important rule: All the children would take part in both a sport and some form of art. For Marcus, that meant basketball and music. A starting forward on George Mason University’s men’s basketball team, Marcus has spent years refining his game on the court while also teaching himself to play the piano in his free time.

NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) and revenue sharing have become inescapable parts of the lexicon of today’s new college sports landscape, but George Mason University’s assistant vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics Marvin Lewis wants to make sure that everyone knows exactly what that entails.

A few days after completing his last season of college basketball at George Mason University, Gabe Norwood, BA Communication ’07, began a hoop odyssey that would take him to nearly 30 countries and make him a national basketball hero in a country thousands of miles from Virginia. 

George Mason University placed fifth among all Atlantic 10 institutions with 318 student-athletes named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2025-26 academic year. The 318 honorees mark the third-highest total in George Mason’s history, trailing only the 332 student-athletes recognized in 2020-21 and the 327 honored in 2023-24. The Patriots also improved upon last year's total of 315 honorees. 

Like many George Mason University students, business major Camryn Weldon is spending her summer doing an internship. Unlike many other students, Weldon is also a Division I athlete and is balancing her work at government contractor Leidos with the demands of collegiate volleyball. The George Mason setter is spending her summer preparing for the upcoming season while gaining valuable experience in business development.

When the call-up to El Salvador's Senior National Team finally came through, Mia Arevalo-Delcid didn't need a moment to let it sink in. She already knew exactly what it meant. "That's the big leagues right there," said the George Mason women's soccer standout. "It's all eyes in the country on you. It's going to be amazing.”