PHOTO: Former Oregon kicker and 2026 Oregon Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductee Josh Frankel performs a reenactment of his game-winning field goal from the Ducks' 1999 victory over Southern California at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center's Day for The J celebrations Sunday, May 17. Frankel scored 144 points for Oregon across four seasons.  (Rockne Roll/The Jewish Review)

Josh Frankel can still kick.

That quality was demonstrated as this year’s addition to the Oregon Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was inducted at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center’s Day for The J celebration Sunday, May 17 at the center. Frankel, who played four seasons for the University of Oregon football program, was introduced by Steve Friedman with a video clip of his game-winning 27-yard field goal in the third overtime of the Ducks’ Sept. 25, 1999 contest against the University of Southern California before being asked to re-enact the moment with a small foam football,  two of his children as goalposts and Friedman as holder.

While the moment was a representation of what Frankel did on the field for the Ducks, he spoke to the relevance of sport off the field.

“What separates people is the work you’re doing when no one else is watching,” Frankel said, “not just in sports, not just in life, but also in our Jewish community. This is important to me because of the values that it represents, the perseverance, humility, the importance of giving back.”

In addition to scoring 144 career points for the Ducks, going 66-for-69 on extra-point attempts and hitting a 47-yard kick against Washington State on Nov. 4, 2000, Frankel is the former board chair of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation and was inducted into the foundation’s Julie Diamond, z”l, Legacy Society last year. He co-founded the Oregon Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the Harry Glickman Scholar Athlete Awards with Friedman and fellow OJSHOF inductee Glen Coblens. While Frankel may not have the accuracy he did as a Duck – his reenactment kick, though hit well, missed wide left – he still retains much of what he gained from his time in green and gold.

“Being in the Hall of Fame matters to me because it means I represented my family and community well, and that’s ultimately all we’re here to do,” Frankel said. “What you remember are the lessons you learned and the impact that you had, and that is really what I’ll always remember about my days from the University of Oregon.”

This year’s pair of Gilckman award winners, Lucy Herzig and Sienna Sellitto, were also recognized at Sunday’s ceremony. Herzig is a graduating senior at St. Mary’s Academy in Portland and competes internationally in artistic swimming, a sport which is sometimes referred to as synchronized swimming. She most recently placed fourth in the Women’s Free Solo event at the 2025 Pan-American Aquatics Championships in Medellin, Colombia. She also leads St. Mary’s Jewish Student Union and the All Brains and Bodies Affinity Group at the school.

Sellitto is graduating from Sherwood High School, where she is co-captain of the Bowmen’s volleyball team and earned second team All-Pacific Conference honors as Sherwood finished 12-10 and qualified for the state tournament. She has also earned Academic All-State honors from the Oregon School Activities Association twice. Sellitto picked up volleyball after 10 years in competitive gymnastics. She is also a member of Sherwood’s chapter of the National Honor Society, Secretary of the Jewish Student Union and active with the YMCA Teen Advisory Committee. She is committed to playing volleyball for Endicott College in Beverly, Mass., this fall – the Endicott Gulls are members of the NCAA Division III Conference of New England.