Liz Mancuso '08, co-captain of the women's swimming and diving team, embodies what it means to be a Dartmouth student-athlete. Mancuso was diagnosed with life-threatening thyroid cancer following her freshman year. After surgery and treatment, she returned to Dartmouth Fall term of her sophomore year and proceeded to become one of the most accomplished swimmers in the program's history. She graduates with the school record in the 200-yard individual medley and participated in the school-record 200-yard freestyle relay, 400-yard freestyle relay, 800-yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard medley relay. She is also the team's all-time leading scorer.
Mancuso, a psychology major, was also an exceptional student, as she maintained a 3.63 GPA.
As a member of the men's soccer team, Nick Christman '08 has been a reliable player on the left side of midfield. This past season, Christman started all 18 games for the team and tallied one goal and three assists. During his four-year career, he was part of two Ivy League championship squads and has appeared in the NCAA tournament three times.
As a computer science major, Christman has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA and was an early inductee to the Phi Beta Kappa senior society. Christman received a NCAA postgraduate scholarship, given out to only 174 athletes annually, and was named to ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-America National First Team.
Christman has also served as the service representative for Alpha Delta fraternity and helped to organize the AD whiffle ball tournament to benefit a pediatric clinic in Argentina.
Jonathan Ball '08 has been a defensive stalwart on the men's basketball team and was instrumental to the team's improvement over the past four years. Ball has served as team captain for two years and was named the team's defensive player of the year for three consecutive years.
During his senior year, Ball averaged 6.6 points and 5.2 rebounds a game, while hitting almost 50 percent of his shots.
Additionally, Ball served on the NCAA Men's Basketball Issues Committee and worked alongside coaches and administrators to address issues pertinent to college basketball. He has also led in the African-American community as a part of the Afro-American society and has supported the College's recruitment and retention efforts. For his contributions to the Dartmouth community, he received the Dean of the College Award for Service. Ball also received the Timothy Wright Ellis memorial award.
Maggie Suydam '08, co-captain of the women's tennis team, has been a team leader despite injuries that have limited her play and forced her to focus on doubles. Suydam provided the leadership the team needed to go from a 0-7 record in the Ivy League last year to a 4-3 record this year.
Suydam also received the Dean of the College Award for service for her efforts as a part of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
She has also been active in community service. Suydam helped organize the Nike Regrind Project, which recycles athletic shoes, and paid visits to the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. During a leave term, she traveled to Mexico to perform community service and study Spanish.
