Student Athletes Honored for Athletic Performance, Academics

More than 170 student athletes were honored for excellence in academic achievement and outstanding athletic performance at a banquet May 1 in Beckham Hall.

Those invited to the gathering were members of the sophomore, junior and senior classes who had distinguished themselves both in the classroom with a minimium GPA of 3.2 and in athletic competition as a significant contributor to the success of their chosen sport(s).

During the banquet, the Wesleyan Athletics Department awarded John Steele ’14 and Mary Foster ’14 with the Roger Maynard Memorial Award, presented annunally to the top senior male and female scholar-athlete at the university. Wesleyan’s Maynard Award, established in memory of Roger Maynard ’37 by his family, was first awarded in 1970 with women added to the honorees in 1977.

Both Steele and Foster had the distinction of playing number one for the men’s and women’s squash teams, respectively, for four seasons. Steele was a four-time first-team all-NESCAC selection as well as NESCAC Rookie of the Year in 2010-11. In the final national rankings for 2013-14, Steele was 54th among all college squash player, 23rd in Division III and 11th in the NESCAC. Foster, also a four-time all-NESCAC honoree, three times on the first-team and once on the second-team, was ranked 85th nationally in 2013-14 but similarly positioned in Division III and the NESCAC as Steele, 20th and 16th, respectively.

Steele also was a finalist for the presitigious College Squash Association’s Skillman Award, presented annually to an outstanding senior player who exhibits the finest in sportsmanship throughout his or her career.

The Athletic Advisory Council also presented the Cardinal Award to Frank Sica ’73 for providing outstanding service to Wesleyan athletics. Photos of the event are below: (Photos by Ryan Heffernan ’16)