D-III Amherst (MA) College Takes 2nd, 2025 Collegiate Cup Champs Cornell University Earns 3rd
FORT LEE, NJ, April 22, 2026
Oregon State rower Isabella Mitchell (‘26) led the Beavers to the win in the 2026 Collegiate Cup (Photo credit: Oregon State Athletics)
Oregon State University, led by senior rower and EcoAthletes Champion Isabella Mitchell, won the fourth annual EcoAthletes Collegiate Cup Powered by Protect Where We Play yesterday, Earth Day.
The six week competition converts exercise – running, walking, swimming, cycling, rowing/ERG sessions, and gym workouts – into an environmental currency which funds vital beach/waterways cleanup efforts.
EcoAthletes student-athlete Champions from 49 US and Canadian colleges/universities, built their squads by encouraging teammates, friends, family, and climate-action supporters to sign up for their school’s team on the free, easy-to-use Climategames app, which then makes the conversion to the environmental currency. That currency is funded by Collegiate Cup title sponsor Protect Where We Play, an initiative of the global nonprofit Ocean Conservancy that unites sports and entertainment industries to protect the ocean by leveraging athletes, artists, teams, events, and venues to mobilize millions of fans worldwide.
Mitchell, who only became an EcoAthletes Champion in January, took on the Collegiate Cup challenge with a relish, recruiting a large team from throughout the Oregon State community and then urged those “Cuppers” to make sure they logged their workouts on the Climategames app. That work paid off, with Team OSU exercising for 3,872 hours over the 6 weeks, which funded the removal of 419 lbs of plastic and trash from coastal waterways to win the Cup.
Tanja Ecker, German stand up paddler, earned the Most Valuable Cupper award in the 2026 EcoAthletes Collegiate Cup (Photo credit: Tanja Ecker)
Amherst College senior lacrosse player Anna Whitworth, undaunted by the D-III school’s small enrollment (1,907 undergrads), built a Collegiate Cup team that logged 2,839 hours of exercise, which translated to the removal of 307 lbs of plastic, good enough for a strong 2nd place finish. Cornell University, which won the 2025 Collegiate Cup, followed that up with a solid 3rd place effort this year. Senior basketball star Emily Pape helped build a Big Red squad that worked out for 1,067 hours, meaning that 115 pounds of beach trash was removed.
Professional Stand Up Paddle Champion and EcoAthletes Champion Tanja Ecker of Germany won the Most Valuable Cupper (MVC) award by being the individual who logged the most hours of exercise during the Collegiate Cup. She worked out for 199 hours over the six weeks , and 100 lbs of plastic and trash will be removed on her behalf. Pro golfer Celina Sattelkau, also from Germany, was right behind Ecker, with 196.5 hours and 60 lbs. of trash removed.