The Dartmouth athletic department announced major athletic awards at a ceremony on Monday to a number of outstanding Big Green athletes.
Courtney Banghart '00 (Basketball)
Banghart crowned two awards as she received the Class of 1976 Award (as Dartmouth's most distinguished female athlete selected by the coaches of women's varsity teams) and the Agnes B. Kurtz Award (as the female who best combines proficiency in athletics with dedication to furthering women's sports.)
"I was just so happy to be included with such successful and incredible athletes and people," Banghart said. "I am so honored to receive both awards, and like I said in the second speech I was asked to give I'm speechless."
The Amherst, NH, native led the Big Green to a pair of Ivy championships as well as two NCAA tournament appearances in the past two years. The senior holds an NCAA record for consecutive games with a 3-pointer (58) and an Ivy League record for career 3-pointers (145).
The two-time All-Ivy guard leaves Hanover as the Big Green's fourth most productive player (1423 points). She was also a captain for the Big Green in her senior year.
"There is no way I can put this and what it meant to me into words," she said. "I definitely thank everyone who noted my contributions -- I am fully honored."
Jacque Weitzel '00 (Lacrosse)
Weitzel was presented the Kenneth Archibald Prize as the senior who has been the "best all-around athlete with moral worth and high standing in scholarship."
"I am extremely honored to have received this award," Weitzel said. "I also felt very humbled standing up there with all the other nominees and listening to what they have accomplished over their four years here."
The Annapolis native was the driving force behind the Big Green's four straight Ivy League titles and three appearances in the NCAA tournament. The three-time All-America first team member has repainted virtually all the offensive records for Dartmouth and the Ivy League. Weitzel, this year's Ivy Player of the Year, is the school's and the league's all-time scoring leader in both points and goals.
"This is the most incredible way I can think of to end my athletic career here at Dartmouth," she said. "I couldn't be more happy."
Conor Brooks '00 (Baseball)
Brooks was voted for the Alfred E. Watson Trophy as the outstanding male athlete as selected by the coaches of the men's varsity teams.
Brooks led the Dartmouth pitching staff to its first Red Rolfe Division championship and to its best record in history (29-14). The Plymouth, Mass., native posted a 2.05 earned-run-average, while striking out 91 batters in just over 87 innings.
Aaron Meyer '00 (Baseball)
Meyer took the Timothy Wright Ellis Award as "a man showing the extracurricular and scholastic drive, spirit, loyalty and amiability."
The first baseman/designated hitter was an All-Ivy first team selection in 1998 and honorable mention in 1997, 1999, 2000.
"This honor has significance for me because it represents everything that I have worked hard to achieve and everything I've wanted to be as an individual," Meyer said.
John Nichols '01 (Crew),
Kristina Guarino '01 (Hockey)
Nichols, a rower on the No. 3 lightweight varsity eight, was one of the Class of 1948 Scholar-Athlete Award winner given to a male and a female who have excelled both in athletics and in the classroom.
"I have always tried to excel on both the athletic field and in the classroom, and it is really special to be recognized like this," Nichols said. "There were so many other deserving candidates, and I'm honored that they chose me. I came here as a student and not as an athlete, and to have had the opportunity to succeed in both areas makes this award so much more meaningful to me."
The Palo Alto native is an engineering sciences major.
Guarino, the female winner, was a co-captain for the women's hockey team this year. She is a two-time Academic All-Ivy selection while majoring in psychology and history. The junior forward led the Big Green, which finished third in the nation.
Carolyn Swan '02 (Fencing)
Swan was given the Charles Quincy Tirrell Prize as the student who has made the most progress in his or her first year in the program, given by the physical education department.
