Vixens honored at 2018 Sweet Briar Athletic Awards Banquet

Crysler Award winner Samantha Yew (center) with President Meredith Woo and head tennis coach Dustin Hale


Senior tennis student-athlete Samantha Yew and dual-sport senior Elizabeth Phaup walked away with top honors as the Crysler Award honoree and Athlete of the Year, respectively, Tuesday evening at the Sweet Briar Athletic Awards Banquet in Prothro Dining Hall.

In addition to awards, the athletic department presented varsity letters to four-year student-athletes and senior student-athletes who competed in three years of a varsity sport, recognized departing staff members and the 2017-18 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

The evening was headlined by the presentation of the prestigious Crysler Award, which was presented to Yew (The Bronx, N.Y.). The Crysler Award is considered the most prestigious of the Sweet Briar Athletic Awards and has been presented since 1979 to an outstanding four-year student-athlete at Sweet Briar. The award, named after Cannie Crysler Shafer ’78, honors the athlete for her continuous commitment, sportsmanship and achievement in sport.

Phaup (Amherst, Va.), a member of the soccer and lacrosse programs, was honored as the Athlete of the Year for 2017-18. After being recognized as the Class of 1977 Sportsmanship Award winner last spring, Phaup earned Athlete of the Year after demonstrating outstanding achievement in her sports through athletic excellence and sportsmanship.

The Coaches Award, presented to a graduating student-athlete who participated in a minimum of three sports in a varsity sport, was awarded to field hockey senior Chelsea McKinney (Lynchburg, Va.).

First-year swimmer Sarah Ahson (Manassas, Va.) earned recognition as the Susan Lehman Courage Award honoree, presented to a student-athlete who has demonstrated courage above and beyond the usual rigors of training and competition.

Tennis sophomore Emily Wandling (Mechanicsville, Va.) received the Class of 1977 Sportsmanship Award, presented to a student-athlete based on sportsmanship, leadership, team spirit and commitment to varsity sports at Sweet Briar.

The Jean Pschirrer Freshman Athlete Award was presented to first-year field hockey goalkeeper Rosemary Austin (Commerce Township, Mich.). The Freshman Athlete Award is presented to a first-year student-athlete demonstrating dedication, motivation, sportsmanship and true love of her sport.

Dual-sport sophomore Lacey Tucker (Swansboro, N.C.), a member of the soccer and tennis programs, was honored with the Whiteman Scholar-Athlete Award. The Whiteman Award is presented to a student-athlete with a grade point average above 3.3 who has demonstrated sportsmanship and outstanding achievement in her sport.

The Sweet Briar Student-Athlete Advisory Committee presented the 2017-18 Robert Barlow Faculty/Staff Award to Barb Watts, director of career services.

Each coach added to the award ceremony by selecting a Pink and Green Award winner from their respective teams. Below is a list of Pink and Green honorees.

• Cross-country: Lydia Gullicksen (Sr., Nantucket, Mass.)


• Field Hockey: Rachel Rogers (Sr., Providence Forge, Va.)


• Golf: Rebecca Parrish (Sr., Abingdon, Md.)


• Lacrosse: Victoria Lawson (So., Shipman, Va.)


• Soccer: Alexa Dahlin (Sr., Lynchburg, Va.)


• Swimming: Claire Zak (Sr., Saint Cloud, Fla.)


• Tennis: Anna Colvin (Sr., Bethlehem, Pa.)