The gala began with a short video highlighting the accomplishments of Big Green athletics this year, notably 10 teams finishing in the top half of the Ivy League and nine teams nationally ranked in the top 25 this season.
Hanson, a member of the men's squash team, took the top honors of the evening with the Kenneth Archibald Prize, presented 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."
"I'm very honored that the athletic director and department chose me," Hanson said. "Really, it's hard to describe. After four years of working hard and doing my best and putting on a D' shirt and representing our College, it's great that it came to this award. It's a lot of different emotions. Most of all I'm thankful for the opportunity to play for this college."
The senior is a four-time first-team all-Ivy honoree, a three-time first-team all-American and a three-time academic all-Ivy honoree. He intends to compete on the professional squash circuit in the hopes of becoming a traveling member of the U.S. national team.
"I feel proud and honored that I got a chance to work with Chris over the past four years," men's squash head coach Hansi Wiens said. "He is one of the best athletes that I have ever met, but it isn't his athleticism that makes him an exceptional player. It is his work ethic, dedication and love for the game that have led him to become one of the strongest and most competitive players I have ever met. He has set a high standard for future student-athletes to live up to."
Holdcroft, the women's hockey goalie, and Runger, a linebacker on the football team, took home the Class of 1948 Scholar-Athlete Award, given "to one male and one female of the junior class, who have combined outstanding performance in athletics and significant achievement in academics."
"She is simply an exceptional student athlete and person," women's hockey head coach Mark Hudak said. "She may be the best person I've ever coached."
Holdcroft,a biology and psychology double major, was invited to the U.S. national team selection and goalie development camps. Runger is an economics major and led the Ivy League in tackles last season, which helped him earn a spot on the all-Ivy first team.
Diamond, a member of the men's skiing team, won the Class of 1950 award for his community service efforts. Diamond has volunteered as a teacher in the DarDar program in Tanzania and served as a mentor at the Indian River School in Canaan.
Wymore, a linebacker on the football team, took home the Timothy Wright Ellis Award, which goes to the male student who exemplifies "extracurricular and scholastic drive, spirit, loyalty and amiability." The economics and neuroscience double major and Rhodes Scholar applicant earned multiple honors last year, including academic all-Ivy.
Sullivan, who runs for the women's cross country and track and field teams, won the Agnes B. Kurtz Award, presented to the "woman who best combines proficiency in athletics with dedication to the furthering of women's activities."
Zupan, a member of the men's swimming and diving team, won the Alfred E. Watson Trophy for the finest male athlete of the year. This season, Zupan made a splash, becoming the first Dartmouth swimmer in over 30 years to qualify for the NCAA championships where he finished eighth in the 200-meter breaststroke. He was named the 2012 Phil Moriarty Ivy League swimmer of the meet at Ivy League championships, and set league championship records in the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley and the 200-meter breaststroke.
"His constant winning attitude and can do focus has brought the level of our workouts and consequently our results to new levels," men's swimming and diving head coach Jim Wilson said. "He never settles for second best."
D'Agostino, a member of the women's cross country and track and field teams, defended her title and won the Class of 1976 Award for the second year in a row. The honor is awarded to the outstanding female athlete of the year. At the NCAA national championship meet in March, the junior became the first American woman to win both the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter races in her career when she won both events on consecutive days. D'Agostino is also the only Ivy League woman to win a national distance championship, which she has done three times in the last calendar year. The only race she lost during the cross country season was the national championship meet, where she finished second, the best showing for an Ivy League woman in history. This past summer, D'Agostino narrowly missed out on the London Olympics.
The field hockey team took home the fourth-annual Big Green Cup, which is given to the "winningest varsity program," a metric measured by athletic support, academic standards, athletic competition and community service.
Athletics director Harry Sheehy closed the evening with a brief speech about the impact of athletes on campus.
"We have the capacity to impact our campus in such a positive way," he said. "The power that exists in this gymnasium tonight to make this Dartmouth experience the very best it can be is palpable, and we look to you to impact this campus in ways that only we can imagine right now."
