Student-athletes gathered in Leede Arena Monday night to celebrate a year of successes on the field, in the classroom and among the community.
Edward Lucas '04, a baseball player, won the Alfred E. Watson Trophy for outstanding male athlete. The Class of 1976 Award for best female competitor went to Lana Smith '04, who plays lacrosse.
Hockey player John Ostapyk '05 and track and field team member Katie Krizan '04 shared the Class of 1950 Award after a year of dedication to community service, and juniors Lauren Padilla and Lee Stempniak split the Class of 1948 Scholar-Athlete Award. Padilla is a member of the sailing team, while Stempniak plays hockey.
Allison Smith '06, a cross-country and track and field team member, earned the Agnes B. Kurtz Award for best combining proficiency in athletics with dedication to furthering women's sports.
Ahmad Abdur-Rahim '04, a track and field team member, received the Timothy Wright Ellis Award for displaying "the extracurricular and scholastic drive, spirit, loyalty and amiability that made Tim Ellis such a well-known part of this community."
Not to be outdone, though, his twin brother, Mustafa Abdur-Rahim '04, also a member of the track and field team, took home the Kenneth Archibald Prize. The prize is given to the Dartmouth student-athlete who has proved himself the best all-around Big Green athlete with regard to moral worth and high standing in scholarship.
However, the most memorable moment of the evening may not have belonged to any one of these aforementioned competitors. It belonged to neither the Big Green's five First Team All-Americans nor the 26 athletes who earned First Team All-Ivy honors.
In a night dedicated to athletes, Elliot Olshansky -- a man who never pitched a shut-out, threw a touchdown or scored a goal -- received the loudest applause.
There certainly was no precedent for honoring Olshansky, a member of The Dartmouth staff and former sports editor, but it made sense, nonetheless, said Athletic Director JoAnn Harper.
"It would be difficult to have a celebration of excellence without mentioning Elliot," said Director of Athletics JoAnn Harper.
During his sophomore winter, Olshansky had the displeasure of attending a women's basketball game against Vermont in which the opposing cheering section dwarfed Dartmouth's home crowd.
"All the Vermont fans came down I-99 and filled up Leede Arena. I think it's one of the biggest crowds I've ever seen here," Olshansky said. "I was so frustrated because it felt like it was one of Vermont's home games, not ours."
Angered by the Big Green's lack of support, Olshansky decided to write about sports, submitting an editorial to The Dartmouth. Impressed, David Sherzer '02, The Dartmouth's sports editor at the time, asked Olshansky to join the paper on a more permanent basis.
Over the next two -and-a-half years, Olshansky covered Dartmouth sports with unmitigated zeal. With an almost photographic memory perfect for the absorption of nicknames, statistics and field goal percentages, he quickly became a favorite among the athletic department.
Even on off-terms, Olshansky chased the Big Green on the road, reading excerpts from Dr. Seuss books to distract opponents and waving Dartmouth supporters into a frenzy.
"It's fun to watch him, it's fun to watch his commitment and it's just fun to watch his passion for Dartmouth athletics," said Kathleen Slattery, who works in the College's sports information office.
When Olshansky graduates in June, he will not leave behind just old brick buildings, midterms and his language requirement. He will walk away, athletes said, with friendships forged by his love for Dartmouth athletics.
"Elliot gets so passionate about everything he does, be it jazz, Dartmouth sports or friendships," swimmer Andrew Biteen '04 said. "He is a great man to have at Dartmouth."
