TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State football recognized the Sean T. Whiten Award winner, the Harry Turner Award winner, and the Michael Ornstein Award winner this week leading into Saturday afternoon's Senior Day festivities at Memorial Stadium.
 
Kolten Gajewski, Braxton Sampson, and Sam Mallory were all honored by the team this week and will receive plaques commemorating the award prior to the game in a brief on-field ceremony during team warmups.
 
Gajewski, a Nashville, Ill. native, was named team captain ahead of the 2026 season and has been a mainstay on the defensive line over the last few seasons. The defensive end has highlighted his final season with the Sycamores with a four-tackle, 0.5 TFL game against Illinois State where he also recorded two pass deflections and recovered a fumble on special teams.
 
Gajewski receives the Sean T. Whiten Award which recognizes a junior or senior who exemplifies strong work ethic, team loyalty, leadership, and service to the university community—honoring the legacy of alumnus and fallen firefighter Sean T. Whiten ('83). The award honors the legacy of Sean T. Whiten and the impact he made to the Indiana State community, friends, and family, and is continued by the Sean T. Whiten Memorial Fund Committee.
 
Sampson, a Brazil, Ind. native, is a two-time team captain with the Sycamores after being voted to the role by his peers on the team ahead of the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Sampson has made strides over his time with the Sycamores and the redshirt senior linebacker enters Senior Day as one of the leading tacklers in the MVFC and the NCAA FCS with ## stops over the year. He's highlighted his 2026 season with a 16-tackle game against Illinois State where he also recorded a TFL and 0.5 sacks.
 
Sampson receives the Harry Turner Award which recognizes an individual who demonstrated deep dedication to the community and the people around him. The award honors the legacy of Harry Turner and the impact that he made on his teammates, friends, and family, as well as the Indiana State community as a whole.
 
Sam Mallory has served on the Sycamores' student manager staff working with the film crew over his four years with the program. He spends most of his game days in the press box providing the live, wide video feed to the team's Video Coordinator for distribution to the coaching staff for in-game sideline review.
 
Mallory receives the Michael Ornstein Award which recognizes a student manager who exhibits the same dedication and selflessness Mike embodied. It was created to recognize the behind-the-scenes heroes of the program and provides acknowledgement of their impact on the team's success.
Kickoff for Saturday's game against Murray State is set for 1 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium. Senior Day recognition will begin around 12:30 p.m. as the Sycamores prepare to honor the 2026 Senior Class ahead of their final home game. The game will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
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