The Princeton Varsity Club and the Department of Athletics held its annual Gary Walters ’67 PVC Awards Banquet on Thursday, May 25th, to celebrate the Princeton Athletics’ Class of 2023. Over 650 attendees including alumni, families, friends, coaches and staff came together in Jadwin Gym to honor the nearly 250 Tigers graduating this year.
Click here to view a complete photo gallery from the evening.
Ford Family Director of Athletics, John Mack ’00, presented the department’s top student-athlete and alumni awards while highlighting the competitive excellence of the Class of 2023 throughout their four years in a Tiger uniform. In addition to the below student-athlete awards, special keynote remarks were given by General Mark Milley ’80 who accepted the Class of 1967 Citizen Athlete Award and Kathleen Mannheimer, recipient of the Marvin Bressler Award.
Click here to read more on General Mark Milley ’80 and Kathleen Mannheimer.
Additional student-athlete awards presented as part of the evening included the following:
C. Otto von Kienbusch Award
Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete from a Women’s Program
2023 finalists – Hannah Davey (field hockey), Daria Frayman (tennis), Alexis Laudenslager (softball), Sarah Polson (lightweight rowing). Nikki Venema (swimming & diving); click here to read more on each of the von Kienbusch Award finalists
2023 recipient – Daria Frayman (tennis)
The 2023 Ivy League Player of the Year, Daria Frayman led the Tigers to a fourth-straight Ivy title and a third-straight NCAA Tournament second round appearance in 2023. The first-ever Ivy League player to be ranked No. 1 in the country, Frayman has also ranked as high as No. 7 in doubles by the ITA during the 2023 campaign. She’s been selected to participate in the NCAA singles and doubles tournaments the past two seasons, and in 2023, became the first Princeton woman to win a singles match in the NCAA Tournament. The 2020 ITA Northeast Region Rookie of the Year, Frayman is a two-time First-Team All-Ivy honoree and was the runner up at the ITA Fall National Championships in 2021 and 2022. Frayman is a team captain and psychology major from Moscow, Russia.
William Winston Roper Trophy
Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete from a Men’s Program
2023 finalists – Tosan Evbuomwan (basketball), Patrick Glory (wrestling), Sondre Guttormsen (track & field), Andrei Iosivas (football/track & field), Raunak Khosla (swimming & diving); click here to read more on each of the Roper Trophy finalists
2023 recipient – Sondre Guttormsen (track & field)
A three-time NCAA champion and First-Team All-American pole vaulter, Sondre Guttormsen has been at his best on the biggest stages with titles at both the 2022 and 2023 NCAA indoor Championships as well as a victory at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships. His indoor championship in 2022 was Princeton Track’s first individual national title in 20 years, and he repeated as champion in 2023 with a performance that tied the national collegiate record with a jump of 6.0 meters. In addition to his NCAA title, this year Guttormsen became the first Norwegian pole vaulter to win Gold at the European Athletics Indoor Championships. A four-time Ivy League Champion who has won both the indoor and outdoor pole vault championship for two consecutive seasons, Guttormsen has set new program and Ivy League pole vaulting records both indoors and outdoors. A psychology major from Ski, Norway, Guttormsen is a consistent presence on the Watch List for the Bowerman Award which is presented annually to the nation’s top track and field athlete.
Art Lane ’34 Award
Selfless Contribution To Sport and Society By An Undergraduate Athlete; given in memory of Art Lane ’34 by friends and family
2023 finalists – Ben Bograd (soccer), Hannah Diaz (open rowing), Ella Gantman (soccer), Nate Phelps (heavyweight rowing), Serena Starks (softball); click here to read more on each of the Art Lane ’34 finalists
2023 recipient – Serena Starks (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.
Chris Sailer Leadership Award
Senior Student-Athletes Demonstrating Exceptional Leadership and a Commitment to Serving Others
2023 finalists – Hannah Davey (field hockey), Keller Maloney (water polo), Quincy Monday (wrestling), Arianna Smith (track & field), Grace Stone (basketball); click here to read more on each of the Chris Sailer Leadership Award finalists
2023 recipients – Quincy Monday (wrestling), Grace Stone (basketball)
Quincy Monday is a two-year team captain and three-time All-American for Princeton wrestling. A four-time NWCA Scholar All-American and Academic All-Ivy honoree, Monday is only the third Tiger to garner three or more All-American honors in a career. This past season saw Monday place third in the nation at 165 pounds, on the heels of an EIWA championship and NCAA runner-up finish at 157 pounds in 2022, making him one of only four Princeton wrestlers with two top-three NCAA finishes. In 2020, he helped Princeton to an unblemished league mark and its first Ivy League team championship since 1986 – which also marked Princeton Athletics’ 500th Ivy League team title. Off the mat, Monday helped found and lead the Black Student-Athlete Collective, uniting and supporting Black student-athletes across sports in their Princeton experience. He has previously served as a Health Professions Advisor on campus and mentors young area wrestlers through clinics with the Trenton Youth Association. Monday is an Anthropology major from Chapel Hill, N.C.
Grace Stone is a career starter and two-time All-Ivy performer for Princeton women’s basketball. She helped the Tigers to four straight Ivy championships, as well as becoming the first Ivy League women’s program to win NCAA Tournament games in consecutive seasons. Stone appeared in 118 games for the Tigers, good for third most in program history. Off the court, Stone co-founded and chairs the Black Student-Athlete Collective, which aims to advocate for and support student-athletes of color and their Princeton experience. She also serves as a leader on the executive team for Princeton Athletics’ Tigers Together initiative and as a representative for the Ivy League’s “8 Against Hate” diversity and inclusion committee. In 2020, Stone worked as a Media Intern for the Poll Hero Project, helping to recruit over 30,000 volunteers to staff election polling locations nationwide. Stone, an Academic All-Ivy honoree from Glen Cove, N.Y., is an African American Studies major pursuing a certificate in American Studies.
Class of 1916 Cup
Varsity Athlete With the Highest Academic Standing
2023 finalists – Ella Gantman (soccer), Madeleine Polubinski (lightweight rowing), Griffen Rakower (lacrosse), Harril Saunders (heavyweight rowing), Olivia Schewe (volleyball); click here to read more on each of the Class of 1916 Cup finalists
2023 recipients – Ella Gantman (soccer), Madeleine Polubinski (lightweight rowing)
Ella Gantman is a goalkeeper and Academic All-Ivy honoree for Princeton women’s soccer. She made seven starts this past season, yielding less than two goals per game during her time between the posts. Gantman was recently awarded the University’s Pyne Prize, Princeton’s top undergraduate honor, which recognizes scholarship, character and leadership. Additionally, she has been honored with early induction into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, and earned the James D. Zirin and Marlene Hess Scholar in the Nation’s Service award. During her time on campus, she has been active with the Princeton Writing Center, Annual Giving, Vote100 and Athlete Ally. Gantman is also a finalist for the Department of Athletics’ Art Lane ’34 Award for contributions to sport and society (click here). From Washington D.C., Gantman is studying in the School of Public and International Affairs, while pursuing a certificate in Spanish Language and Culture.
Madeleine Polubinski is an IRA All-Academic honoree for Princeton women’s lightweight rowing. In 2022, she paced the varsity four to a bronze medal at the Eastern Sprints and fourth place finish at the IRA Championships, helping the Tigers to the IRA women’s lightweight national team title for the first time in program history. This year’s varsity four captured gold at Eastern Sprints for the first time since 2010. Off the water, Polubinski serves on the Princeton Disability Awareness Council. In this role, she helps organize campus events to promote awareness, education and inclusion for children living with physical and intellectual disabilities. She also volunteers with the Special Olympics of New Jersey and previously served as Vice President for the Princeton Undergraduate Law Journal. Polubinski is a politics major from New York, N.Y.
In addition to thanking everyone who attended, the PVC would like to thank all of the generous alumni, parents and Athletics Friends Groups who sponsored a table at this year’s event.
We wish all the 2023 graduating seniors the best of luck, and look forward to watching them Achieve, Serve, and Lead in their future endeavors!
