Five Princeton student-athletes have been named finalists for the 2023 Art Lane ’34 Award, which is presented annually to undergraduate student-athletes in recognition of selfless contribution to sport and society.
The Art Lane ’34 Award will be presented at the Gary Walters’67 Princeton Varsity Club Awards Banquet on Thursday, May 25th starting at 5:00 p.m. ET. For more information on the 2023 banquet, click here.
Meet the 2023 finalists!
BEN BOGRAD ’23 | MEN’S SOCCER
Ben Bograd has helped anchor the defense for Princeton men’s soccer throughout his career, starting more than 35 games and helping the Tigers to Ivy League championships in both 2018 and 2021.
Off the pitch, Bograd is President of the Varsity Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and on the Executive Leadership Team for the Student-Athlete Wellness Leader program. Additionally, he has served his campus community as a peer leader for the SHARE Office and as an Orange Key Tour Guide for University Admissions, while also founding J’Asians, an affinity group through the Center for Jewish Life for biracial Jewish students who identify as Asian.
Bograd previously worked as an Outreach Coordinator for the Poll Hero Project, a student-led effort that recruited 37,000 volunteers to staff polling locations across the country during the 2020 election.
A Schwarzman Scholar and Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup finalist from Short Hills, N.J., Bograd is a Politics major pursuing certificates in History & the Practice of Diplomacy and American Studies.
HANNAH DIAZ ’23 | WOMEN’S OPEN ROWING
Hannah Diaz, a two-time Pocock All-America honorable mention as a coxswain for Princeton women’s open rowing, led this year’s First Varsity Eight to an Ivy League championship and No. 1 national ranking. The Tigers also captured the Ivy League title in 2022 en route to a third-place finish at NCAAs, the program’s top mark in 25 years.
Diaz has been an instrumental leader with Princeton rowing’s Special Olympics partnership, serving as co-head coach where she trains 25-30 young athletes at the Princeton Boathouse weekly. Additionally, she has supported Princeton Rowing’s STEM to Stern initiative, teaching Trenton-area middle school students the sport of rowing and STEM curriculum.
A strong advocate for mental health awareness, Diaz serves as a Student-Athlete Wellness Leader, educating fellow student-athletes and teams on mental wellbeing resources. She also represents Cottage Club on the Community Service Interclub Council, and helps facilitate SCORRE training for her team.
Diaz is a Politics major from Seattle, Wash.
ELLA GANTMAN ’23 | WOMEN’S SOCCER
Ella Gantman is a goalkeeper and Academic All-Ivy honoree for Princeton women’s soccer. Gantman’s senior season saw her register 450 minutes over eight games, where she held opponents under two goals a game.
This February, Gantman received the Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize – the University’s top undergraduate honor – awarded to the senior who has most clearly manifested excellent scholarship, strength of character and effective leadership. She has been active with the Princeton Writing Center, Annual Giving’s TigerCall operation, Vote100 and Athlete Ally.
A strong advocate for social justice, Gantman represented her team on the Ivy League’s 8 Against Hate council. She also co-founded the Poll Hero Project, a non-partisan organization that recruited 37,000 new poll station workers in the lead-up to the 2020 election. Gantman served as the organization’s Director of National Strategy.
From Washington D.C., Gantman is studying in the School of Public and International Affairs, while pursuing a certificate in Spanish Language and Culture.
NATE PHELPS ’23 | MEN’S HEAVYWEIGHT ROWING
A mainstay in the First Varsity Eight for Princeton men’s heavyweight rowing, Nate Phelps helped lead this year’s Tigers to their first silver medal at Eastern Sprints since 2016. He is a member of US Rowing’s under-23 National Team, where he led the USA men’s coxed four to a silver medal last summer.
Off the water, Phelps coaches young rowing athletes with the Special Olympics of New Jersey. He also helped found Princeton rowing’s STEM to Stern program, providing local underserved middle school students access to the sport of rowing and STEM curriculum. In addition to leading coordination efforts around volunteer groups, transportation and engagement with community partners, Phelps has worked with the national STEM to Stern organization in support of their annual Rowers for Change fundraiser.
Phelps is also a Student-Athlete Wellness Leader and previously supported The College Prep Project, helping to prepare high school seniors for college.
An economics major from Ridgefield, Conn., Phelps is pursuing, certificates in finance and linguistics.
SERENA STARKS ’23 | SOFTBALL
Serena Starks, a team captain and two-time first-team All-Ivy honoree for Princeton softball, was unanimously named the 2023 Ivy Player of the Year after leading the Tigers to back-to-back Ivy League championships in her two full seasons on the diamond.
A 2023 Spirit of Princeton award recipient, Starks has demonstrated a commitment to service through her involvement with the Student-Athlete Service Council, Student-Athlete Wellness Leaders, and the University’s Service Focus program. As Co-President of the Princeton Disability Awareness Board, Starks organized a carnival that brought together Princeton students and more than 40 individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities.
Starks has also been active with the Special Olympics, Best Buddies and Academic Success Today programs. She co-founded the Asian Student-Athletes of Princeton student affinity group, and serves on the Tigers Together Executive Committee.
From Huntington Beach, Calif., Starks is studying in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.
