Five Princeton student-athletes have been named finalists for the 2022 William Winston Roper Trophy, which is presented annually to the top senior student-athlete from a men’s program.
The Roper Trophy will be presented at the Gary Walters ’67 Princeton Varsity Club Awards Banquet on Thursday, May 19th starting at 5:00 p.m. ET. For more information on the 2022 banquet, click here.
Meet the 2022 finalists!
George Baughan (Men’s Lacrosse)
George Baughan is one of the top defensemen the men’s lacrosse team has ever seen. A 2020 Inside Lacrosse first-team All-American, he has been a first-team All-Ivy League selection in each of his last two full seasons. After beginning his career as a second-team All-Ivy selection as a freshman, he was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy and honorable mention All-American as a sophomore before being named first-team All-Ivy League again this season as a senior. Statistically, he is one of the top takeaway defensemen in the country, and he has finished in the top three in the Ivy League in caused turnovers three different times. Off the field, he is a two-time Academic All-Ivy League selection and is one of 10 Division I finalists for the men’s lacrosse Senior Class Award.
Youssef Ibrahim (Men’s Squash)
Youssef Ibrahim earned his third first-team All-America honor in 2022, adding to those won in 2018 and 2020, to become the 12th player in program history to earn at least three first-team All-America honors. Ibrahim was the 2022 Ivy League Player of the Year, completing a perfect run through the Ivy League season at the top of the lineup as part of a larger 16-match winning streak. Earning the top seed in the top draw of the CSA national championships, Ibrahim made the final and came within two points of becoming Princeton’s first CSA individual national champion in 11 years. The Ivy League Player of the Year honor allowed Ibrahim to bookend his career with Ivy League major awards, winning the Ivy Rookie of the Year honor in 2018 and earning All-Ivy League recognition three times along the way, consistently playing in the top spot in Princeton’s lineup.
C.J. Licata (Men’s Track & Field)
C.J Licata earned All-America honors in the shot put at the 2022 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships respectively, after finishing eighth indoor and thirteenth outdoor. He was an NCAA Outdoor Regional Championships qualifier in the shot put in 2019, and is a four-time Heps shot put champion with three Indoor Heps titles in 2019, 2020 and 2022 as well as an Outdoor Heps crown in 2022. An Academic All-Ivy selection, Licata collected four First Team All-Ivy League honors. His mark in the shot put of 19.90 meters at the 2021 Throws U Spring Series ranks No. 2 all-time in program history, and his mark of 19.77 meters from the Joe 2021 Handelman Invitational stands the No. 2 all-time mark in school history on the Tigers’ indoor list.
Kevin O’Toole (Men’s Soccer)
Kevin O’Toole made Princeton men’s soccer history, becoming the first Tiger to win multiple Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year awards over his career and leading Princeton to only the second perfect Ivy League season in program history. O’Toole scored seven goals and added nine assists to lead the Ivy League in scoring on his way to third-team All-American honors from both United Soccer Coaches and College Soccer News. A three-time first-team All-Ivy selection, O’Toole tallied 15 goals and 18 assists during his Princeton career, dishing out the fourth-most assists in program history and he will graduate as a two-time Ivy League champion. In January, O’Toole was drafted 34th overall in the MLS SuperDraft by NYCFC and has begun his professional career.
Jeremiah Tyler (Football)
Jeremiah Tyler is a three-time Ivy League champion who made his mark as one of the greatest defensive players in program history. Tyler, a three-time All-Ivy player, is a two-time finalist for the Bushnell Cup for Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, securing that award in 2021. He collected two All-America honors (Phil Steele FCS Fourth-Team All-America and Second-Team Stats Perform FCS All-America) following the 2021 Ivy Championship campaign that saw him add a team-high 58 tackles, adding seven for a loss. The senior captain also had two sacks, a fumble recovery for a touchdown and six pass breakups. He played in every game during his tenure with Princeton, contributing 163 tackles, 28.5 for loss, along with 16 passes defended, 6.5 sacks, three interceptions and two forced fumbles.
