Dartmouth Holds Virtual 2019-20 Celebration of Excellence

HANOVER, N.H. – The Dartmouth College Department of Athletics and Recreation hosted its annual Celebration of Athletic Excellence on Tuesday evening, honoring the achievements of teams and individuals throughout the 2019-20 academic year.

Due to COVID-19, the ceremony took place online. The nominees for the awards were revealed on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter leading up to the video event.

THE CLASS OF 1948 SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARDS
Given "to one male and one female of the junior class, who have combined outstanding performance in athletics and significant achievement in academics."
Winners: Jason Liu (Men's Golf) and Bonnie Shea (Women's Soccer)
Liu has served as the team captain each of the last two seasons as he quickly earned the respect of his teammates and coach with his play on the course as well as his leadership. He began his career by being named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, then earned a spot on the All-Ivy League Second Team as a sophomore. A two-time Academic All-Ivy League selection as an engineering major with a 3.81 GPA, Liu had two top-10 finishes in the three fall tournaments and was leading the team in stroke average when the season came to an abrupt end.

A neuroscience major with a 3.88 GPA, Shea has put forth the same effort in the classroom that it takes to be a defensive force on the women's soccer team. She started in every game that she played this past season and helped her team allow the second fewest goals in the conference on her way to being named an All-Ivy League First Team performer for the second straight year. Bonnie was recognized both on and off the field with all-region and all-academic honors, becoming just the third women's soccer player to do so.

CLASS OF 1950 AWARD
Presented to "the varsity student-athlete who has demonstrated the most extraordinary commitment to community service."
Winner: Maya Perkins (Women's Rugby)
Perkins has been involved with many organizations during her time at Dartmouth, serving as African American Society president and working with the Dartmouth NAACP, plus has been a prominent member of the Shabazz Center. In addition, she has completed both the Rocky Leadership Program and Tuck Bridge Program. Maya has done so much to support the Dartmouth African American community and worked to bring interesting perspectives to campus to broaden all of our world views. She commands respect and demands open-minded, critical thought from those around her. But it is her strength of character, her confidence, her willingness to talk about the hard issues and the courageous example she sets that people follow.

THE TIMOTHY WRIGHT ELLIS 1955 MEMORIAL AWARD
Given to "the man showing extracurricular and scholastic drive, spirit, loyalty and amiability." Nominated and voted on by the captains of the men's teams.
Winner: Brandon Hester (Football)
While injuries stifled his development on the gridiron, Hester never changed the outgoing, gregarious personality that defined him on campus. He was a teammate who always looked out for the best in other people and gave his best effort for the betterment of the team. A co-founder of the Dartmouth Real Estate Club, Hester was also involved with Thetford Mentors as well as the Aspire-STEPS program, plus was a member of the Christian Union. On top of that, he is essentially a campus barber, giving out haircuts to people in need of sharpening up. His head coach, Buddy Teevens, had this to say about Hester: "He is a loyal friend who makes people feel immediately at ease. When reading the description of this award, Brandon instantly came to my mind. He is so deserving as his positive presence has touched so many parts of campus."

AGNES KURTZ AWARD
Presented to "the woman who best combines proficiency in athletics with dedication to the furthering of women's sports." Nominated and voted on by the captains of the Big Green women's teams.
Winner: Mariel Gordon (Women's Soccer)
Always a fixture in goal for the women's soccer team, Gordon is one of the most enthusiastic supporters of women's sports. She participates in Women in Sports Day at Dartmouth each year and her smile and energy are infectious as she encourages the next generation of powerful female athletes. She attends every female sports competition from field hockey to basketball to skiing and everything in between and is the loudest voice in the crowd cheering for her fellow female student-athletes and knows all of them by name and stat. At home in Texas, she helps the children in her community to be leaders of tomorrow in women's soccer. Her teammate described her as "the player that holds me accountable, pushes me, supports me, and encourages me every single day."

THE ALFRED E. WATSON TROPHY
Presented annually to Dartmouth's top male student-athlete.
Winner: Isiah Swann (Football)
Despite missing the first three games of the season with various injuries, Swann was once again a tremendous presence on the defensive side of the ball. He led the Ancient Eight in interceptions — even with the missed playing time — and ranked among the top 20 nationally in passes defended. It was his interception in the end zone during the final seconds of the season finale at Brown that clinched Dartmouth's record 19th Ivy League title with the 29-23 victory. Swann was an All-American for the second straight year as determined by the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association and STATS, while being named one of the 25 finalists across the country for the defensive player of the year award. A unanimous All-Ivy League First Team selection and a member of the Division I All-New England Team for the second consecutive season, he set program records for interceptions in a season and a career as well as career pick-sixes. After the season, Swann became the first Big Green player in 16 years to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl, then was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent.

THE CLASS OF 1976 AWARD
Presented annually to the most outstanding female student-athlete.
Winner: Cha'Mia Rothwell (Women's Track & Field)
For the second time in her career, Rothwell has earned the title as the top female student-athlete, bookending her career after also taking home this award as a freshman in 2017. It comes thanks in large part to the historic achievement reached this past winter. In what proved to be the final race of her stellar career, Rothwell ran a season-best 8.31 in the final of the 60m hurdles at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships hosted by Cornell. In doing so, she won her fourth straight conference title in the event, becoming just the third woman in Ivy League history to earn the career sweep of the 60m Hurdles. The title proved to be the ninth of her illustrious career and was made even more special as Rothwell ran in memory of and dedicated the title to the memory of her personal sprints coach and the leader of the Dartmouth women's program for nearly three decades, Sandy Ford-Centonze, who passed away early in the indoor season.

KENNETH ARCHIBALD PRIZE
Dartmouth's highest athletic honor is presented annually to "the member of the graduating class who has been four years in attendance, who has been the best all-around athlete, regard also being had to moral worth and high standing in scholarship." The winner traditionally exemplifies all that we hope and expect of the men and women who put on the Dartmouth uniform and take to the field of play. This student-athlete is to be of exemplary athletic skill, of great academic prowess and of high moral character.
Winner: Cha'Mia Rothwell (Women's Track & Field)
One of the all-time winningest student-athletes in Dartmouth history, Rothwell has been a staple atop the Ivy League podium since arriving in Hanover four years ago. The winner of nine Ivy League Heptagonal Championships in her career, she has been not only Dartmouth's best sprinter in recent memory, but also one of the top female hurdlers ever to come through the Ancient Eight. Wildly regarded by her teammates as one of the most athletic and fastest members of the Big Green on either the men's or women's side, she has been a dominant force in several disciplines. One of just three Ivy women ever to win the 60m Hurdles indoor title in all four years, she not only won, but did so in both program and conference-record times. She also was a dominant force in the outdoor 100m hurdles, winning the title in all three seasons in which she competed. Additionally, she was also a two-time league champion in the indoor long jump, demonstrating her unique athletic talents across multiple disciplines. In total, she is an 11-time All-Ivy honoree and has twice been named the Ivy League Indoor Most Outstanding Female Field Performer, while a constant and prominent figure during these annual Celebration of Excellence awards presentations. A psychology major with a 3.57 GPA, Rothwell has also been a regular on Academic All-Ivy League announcements.

Schedules

Dartmouth Holds Virtual 2019-20 Celebration of Excellence

Players Mentioned

Mariel Gordon

Brandon Hester

Jason Liu

Maya Perkins

Cha'Mia Rothwell

Bonnie Shea

Isiah Swann

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Schedules