The Princeton Athletics community gathered virtually on May 13th to celebrate and honor the 153 members of the Princeton Athletics Class of 2021 as part of the Gary Walters '67 PVC Awards Banquet. Senior student-athletes AJ Chen (volleyball) and Julianna Tornetta (field hockey) teamed up with Ford Family Director of Athletics, Mollie Marcoux Samaan '91 to co-host the program.
SENIOR STUDENT-ATHLETE FEATURE VIDEO
CLASS OF 1916 CUP
Awarded annually to the Princeton varsity letterwinner who, continuing in competition, achieved at graduation the highest academic standing.
This year's finalists were Samuel Breckenridge (lightweight rowing), Arthur Markley (swimming & diving), Joe Sartini (cross country/track & field) and Ollie Schwartz (heavyweight rowing).
CLASS OF 1916 CUP - RECIPIENT
OLLIE SCHWARTZ '21 | HEAVYWEIGHT ROWING
Ollie Schwatz is a Computer Science major on men’s heavyweight rowing, where he has led both third and fourth varsity eights to silver medals at Eastern Sprints. He is an Academic All-IRA honoree.
Schwartz, a native of Sydney, Australia, is the President of the Princeton Chapter of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. He was previously awarded Princeton’s Shapiro Prize for excellence in academic pursuits.
ART LANE '34 AWARD
Awarded to an undergraduate student-athlete(s) in recognition of his or her selfless contribution to sport and society. Given in memory of Art Lane '34 by family and friends.
This year's finalists were Kelton Chastulik (track & field), Melia Chittenden (cross country/track & field), Andrew Lin (water polo), Matthew Marquardt (swimming & diving), Lauren Sanchez (lightweight rowing), Ryan Schwieger (basketball) and Alexa Underwood (volleyball).
ART LANE '34 AWARD - RECIPIENTS
MELIA CHITTENDEN '21 | CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK & FIELD
Melia Chittenden is a two-time cross country and track & field team captain and a First Team All-Ivy honoree.
Chittenden, who is from Manhattan Beach, Calif. and in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, helped lead her team’s work with the Smith Family Foundation in Trenton, providing headphones to 2,000 underprivileged students. She has also tutored incarcerated individuals, supported immigration efforts for the International Rescue Committee and contributed to the Trenton Project.
MATTHEW MARQUARDT '21 | SWIMMING & DIVING
A backstroke and butterfly specialist for men’s swimming & diving, Matthew Marquardt became the first Princetonian to receive the Slavin Fellowship for entrepreneurship.
Marquardt, a Chemistry major from Cincinnati, Ohio, has tutored underprivileged children and served as a Patient Care Ambassador at Princeton Medical Center. He also educated the campus on sleep through his TigerDen Sleep Workshops. Marquardt recently completed a 20 day cross-country bike ride, raising over $13,000 for pediatric cancer research.
CLASS OF 1967 PVC CITIZEN ATHLETE AWARD
Presented by the Princeton Varsity Club for contributions to sport and society.
RECIPIENT - VIETTA JOHNSON, M.D. '82 | TRACK & FIELD
Vietta Johnson, M.D. '82 was a sprinter and hurdler and part of six HEPs championship teams for Princeton women's track & field. Following Princeton, she went on to Harvard Medical School before becoming just the 10th Black female orthopedic surgeon in the United States. She has since focused her care on areas most in need, as approximately 85% of her current patients at St. Barnard Hospital in Chicago are on public assistance.
Johnson also performs free surgeries for children with spinal issues and orthopedic pediatric issues in the Bahamas as part of “Hailey’s Gift” program. Additionally, she has been a mentor to countless others who have followed in her footsteps, including with the Nth Dimension, a pipeline program that assists traditionally underrepresented people into the field of orthopedic surgery through help on applications, presentations and navigating the profession.
"This award makes me feel that what I've been through and what I have done matters. I want to thank Mollie and the PVC for recognizing me with this amazing honor. To be able to be honored this way during a celebration of the next generation of Princeton athletes reminds me of how I cherish my own time at Princeton as an athlete and student/scholar and especially the relationships I had with my coaches and teammates." - Vietta Johnson, M.D. '82
MARVIN BRESSLER AWARD
Presented to that member of the Princeton family who, through heartfelt support of the University's student-athletes and coaches, best embodies a belief in the lifelong lessons taught by competition and athletics as a complement to the overall educational mission.
RECIPIENT - PROF. ADAM MALOOF
Adam Maloof is a Professor in the Department of Geosciences. He has been an Athletics Fellow for the Princeton baseball program since 2012, and an active member of the Faculty Advisory Committee on Athletics and Campus Recreation (FACA) for several years. He has served as the FACA Chair the past two years, where he has worked directly with Ford Family Director of Athletics, Mollie Marcoux Samaan ’91 to enhance the athletic-academic integration at Princeton.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION LEADERSHIP AWARD
Awarded to an undergraduate student-athlete(s) in recognition of his or her selfless leadership.
RECIPIENTS
MADDIE BACSKAI '21 | FIELD HOCKEY
Maddie Bacskai graduates from Princeton as a three-time captain of the field hockey program.
A three-time first team All-Ivy honoree, she led the team to two Ivy League titles and three NCAA Final Four appearances. Despite missing the entire 2019 season with an injury, Bacskai was still elected team captain and provided valuable leadership throughout a season that saw the Tigers reach the National Championship game. Bacskai, from Berwyn, Pa., studies in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.
CHRIS WILSON '21 | MEN'S HEAVYWEIGHT ROWING
Chris Wilson arrived at Princeton at the age of 23 after serving in the United States Marine Corps, where he was deployed to Kuwait and Bahrain as a ground radio technician.
Never having rowed prior to Princeton, Wilson quickly became a mainstay in the 4V and 5V boats, on top of being an inspiring leader and mentor to his teammates. Outside of the boathouse, Wilson is a member of the Princeton Veteran's Alliance and University Store Board of Trustee, and also served as a teacher and mentor through Coach for College, a summer service program in Vietnam. Wilson is an Art and Archaeology major originally from Atoka, Tennessee.
AJ CHEN '21 | MEN'S VOLLEYBALL
AJ Chen is a senior captain for the men's volleyball team. He was part of the 2019 squad that captured the program's first EIVA Conference Championship in nearly two decades.
This past year, Chen co-founded Asian Student Athletes of Princeton (ASAP), which aims to improve the Asian student-athlete experience through connection, conversation and community building. Chen was also recently recognized with the University's Spirit of Princeton Award, which honors undergraduates for positive contributions to campus life. Chen is a Neuroscience major from Gaithersburg, Maryland.
WILLIAM WINSTON ROPER TROPHY
Awarded annually to a Princeton senior man of high scholastic rank and outstanding qualities of sportsmanship and general proficiency in athletics. Presented by Mrs. William W. Roper and the Class of 1902.
This year's finalists were Patrick Brucki (wrestling), Daniel Kwak (fencing), Tassilo von Mueller (heavyweight rowing) and Richard Wolf (soccer) .
WILLIAM WINSTON ROPER TROPHY - RECIPIENT
DANIEL KWAK '21 | FENCING
Daniel Kwak graduates as a two-time All-American for Princeton men’s fencing, finishing as the national runner-up in the NCAA saber championship in 2019. A Psychology major with a premed focus from Los Angeles, California, Kwak captured the 2020 NCAA regional title en route to qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season. He is a two-year team captain and Academic All-Ivy honoree.
Off the strip, Kwak serves as a college advisor with Matriculate, helping to support high-achieving low-income students.
C. OTTO VON KIENBUSCH AWARD
Given annually to a Princeton senior woman of high scholastic rank who has demonstrated general proficiency in athletics and the qualities of a true sportswoman. Presented in memory of C. Otto von Kienbusch ’06, friend and benefactor of women’s athletics at Princeton.
This year's finalists were Obiageri Amaechi (track & field), Maddie Bacskai (field hockey), Carlie Littlefield (basketball), Kasia Nixon (fencing), Clara Roth (field hockey) and Julianna Tornetta (field hockey).
C. OTTO VON KIENBUSCH AWARD - RECIPIENT
CLARA ROTH '21 | FIELD HOCKEY
Clara Roth, a team captain and Architecture major from Schwetzingen, Germany, helped lead Princeton Field Hockey to two Ivy League titles and two NCAA Final Fours. She is a three-time All-Ivy honoree and two-time All-American. As a junior, Roth was named a Honda Sport Award Finalist and Regional Player of the Year, becoming one of only 11 players in program history to record 100 career points.
Off the field, Roth is a member of Athlete Ally and has served as a Student-Athlete Wellness Leader and EcoRep Leader on the Greening Athletics Team.
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT REFLECTIONS: THANK YOU PRINCETON CLASS OF 2021
FULL BROADCAST OF THE GARY WALTERS '67 PVC AWARDS BANQUET
Credits:
Princeton Athletics