The Princeton Varsity Club recently hosted the second installment of its PVC Coaches Luncheon series, inviting its PVC members and campus Team Around the Team colleagues to hear from the head coaches and student-athletes of four winter programs.
Ford Family Director of Athletics, John Mack ’00 began the program by recapping a successful fall for Princeton Athletics, which included six conference championships, three Ivy League Tournament championships and a No. 7 finish in the fall Learfield Directors Cup standings. Following his remarks, head coaches from the men’s swimming & diving, women’s basketball, men’s ice hockey and women’s track & field programs stepped to the podium to also address the audience. The coaches provided updates on their team’s accomplishments to date in addition to talking about their goals for reaching the winter postseason. Each coach introduced a student-athlete from their program as well, speaking about their leadership and the transformative experience that Princeton Athletics offers.
The student-athletes then took their own turn in the spotlight, concluding the program with a Q&A panel moderated by Associate Director of Athletics & Princeton Varsity Club, Brendan Van Ackeren. David Jacobs ’26 (men’s ice hockey), Fadima Tall ’27 (women’s basketball), Georgina Scoot ’26 (women’s track & field), and Mitchell Schott ’26 (men’s swimming & diving) represented their programs on the panel. The group answered a series of questions about their most defining moment in a Tiger uniform, the leadership and culture that they look to bring to their teams, and the ways in which the department’s pillars of Achieve, Serve, and Lead have inspired them throughout their time at Princeton. Additionally, the athletes took turns thanking the PVC members and Team Around the Team in the room, speaking to the “connectiveness” that they feel to the Princeton Athletics community because of their constant support.
Click here to view video highlights and a full photo gallery from the winter luncheon.
During the Winter Coaches Luncheon, Princeton Athletics presented Avi Agarwal ’26 (men’s squash) and Issy Wunder ’26 (women’s ice hockey) with the PNC Student-Athlete Achiever Award. Sponsored by PNC Bank, this award recognizes two student-athletes during each sports season who excel academically, give back to their community, and engage in leadership activities on their campus.
