Sports Shorts: Senior Awards Announced, Athletic Director Steps Down

Despite the Ivy League’s decision to cancel intercollegiate competition in this pandemic year, the Princeton Varsity Club continued with awarding its TOP HONORS to graduating seniors.

CLARA ROTH ’21, a two-time All-American in field hockey, received the Von Kienbusch Award, and fencer DANIEL KWAK ’21, a two-time All-American and the national runner-up in the 2019 NCAA saber championship, received the Roper Trophy. The two awards are given to female and male seniors, respectively, who demonstrate scholastic achievement, sportsmanship, and athletic proficiency.

Heavyweight rower OLLIE SCHWARTZ ’21 received the Class of 1916 Cup, given to the senior letter-winner with the highest academic standing.

Cross-country runner MELIA CHITTENDEN ’21 and backstroke and butterfly swimmer MATTHEW MARQUARDT ’21 shared the Art Lane Award for “selfless contribution to sport and society.”

Orthopedic surgeon VIETTA JOHNSON ’82 (women’s track and field) received the Class of 1967 PVC Citizen-Athlete Award for “selfless and noble contributions to sport and society.”

Geosciences professor ADAM MALOOF, a long-time athletics fellow for Princeton baseball, won the Marvin Bressler Award, given to someone who best embodies a belief in the lifelong lessons taught by athletics.

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After seven years as Princeton’s athletics director, MOLLIE MARCOUX SAMAAN ’91 is leaving to become the ninth commissioner of the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

A varsity athlete in soccer and ice hockey, Marcoux Samaan wrote her Princeton thesis on the history of women in golf. Since Marcoux Samaan became the Ford Family Director of Athletics in 2014, Princeton has won 65 Ivy League championships — more than any other Ivy school during that time.

The University is undertaking a nationwide search for her successor. “I know even greater things are ahead for the Tigers,” she said in an announcement.