At the end of each academic year, The Dartmouth’s sports section puts up players to be voted on by the student body as the best of the best. In this year’s The D Sports Awards, five of the top rookies, five of the top female athletes and five of the top male athletes are pitted against each other, the winners to emerge after a popular vote by members of the Dartmouth community. In order to vote, students and community members can click on the link below to cast a single vote before Wednesday, May 22 at 1 p.m. The winners will be announced on Friday, May 24 in that day's issue of The Dartmouth.
Click here to vote: https://bit.ly/2YCkpOo
Rookie of the Year:
Emily Henrich ’22 (Women’s rugby)
Emily Henrich ’22, an Upstate New York native, won the MA Sorensen Award this season as the top player in collegiate women’s rugby. The first Dartmouth player to win the award, Henrich carried the team to its first ever National Intercollegiate Rugby Association championship against Harvard University, scoring the final try for the Big Green in a 19-14 victory. Henrich was first on the team in the fall with 11 tries while her 73 points ranked second on the team. Her efforts, highlighted by a 27-point dominating performance against Brown University, also earned her First-Team All-Ivy recognition. Daughter of two former Dartmouth athletes, Henrich has also received honors outside of collegiate rugby, including the Buffalo News Rugby Player of the Year prior to attending Dartmouth and a spot on the U.S. women’s national team for this year’s November tour as one of two 18-year-olds.
Mia Leko ’22 (Women’s swimming)
Mia Leko ’22 certainly made a splash in her first season swimming for the Big Green. The freshman from North Branford, CT led the Big Green to an even 5-5 record after a four-season slump in which Dartmouth won just one meet out of 24. The crown jewel of an outstanding freshman recruiting class, Leko accumulated several honors in her first season. The Dartmouth swimming and diving program awarded her both the Outstanding Freshman Award and the Karl B. Michael Award, which is “given to the member of the squad who has given the most to the team.” The Ivy League recognized her achievements with first team All-Ivy honors after she won the 200-yard fly and had impressive showings in the 500 free, 200 free, 400 medley relay and 800 free relay at the Ivy League Championships. Leko was invited to the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America National Invitational Championship in March, where she again won the 200 fly.
Tricia Mangan ’19 (Women’s alpine skiing)
Alpine skier Tricia Mangan ’19 already had an established career at the national level before completing her first season for the Big Green this year. The Buffalo, NY native skied for the U.S. national team and 2018 Olympic team while finishing fourth in the 2018 International Ski Federation Junior World Ski Championships super giant slalom event. When Mangan left the international stage to compete collegiately, however, she did not leave her talent behind. At the NCAA Skiing Championships this year, she took third place overall in the giant slalom with a time of 2:01.56, finishing less than a second behind the national champion in the event. Mangan won the Pam Merrill Award, which is given by the coaches to the best first-year player on the team. Even with Mangan’s impressive success on the slopes, she is just as impressive off of them, earning a spot on the All-Academic Ski Team as named by the United States Collegiate Ski Coaches Association.
Drew O’Connor ’22 (Men’s hockey)
Forward Drew O’Connor ’22, hailing from Chatham, NJ, was named to the All-Ivy Second Team this season as the only rookie in the conference to receive All-Ivy recognition. O’Connor’s 17 goals led all Ivy League rookies and were the second-highest total among all NCAA rookies. His impressive goal total was the best on the team this year and the third-most by any Dartmouth rookie in team history. Additionally, his three Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey Rookie of the Week awards were the most of any ECAC players. His individual performances were also exceptional, as O’Connor scored in each of Dartmouth’s three games in the first round of the playoffs against Saint Lawrence University. In particular, O’Connor excelled late in the game in clutch situations. He tied a game against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with only 1:04 left; netted the only goal against No. 11 Clarkson University with just 32.9 seconds to go in regulation; and helped the Big Green complete a comeback against Union College with a goal in the final two minutes.
Nathan Skinner ’22 (Baseball)
Nathan Skinner ’22, who hails from Jacksonville, FL, had an amazing start to his Dartmouth career. The starting pitcher posted a 5.96 ERA on the season in a high-offense league and finished the season on an incredibly strong note, leaving the team excited for what the future holds for the tall right-hander. Skinner won the Ivy League Rookie of the Week award twice, once for a one-run outing against Fairleigh Dickinson University and one for a six-inning, two-run gem against Harvard University. Two of Skinner’s last three outings were quality starts, as he finished off the season by pitching 6.2 one-run innings in a victory over Cornell University. He became efficient with his pitch count as he ate up innings to keep a depleted bullpen fresh; he only needed 88 pitches in his final outing of the season. Skinner cemented his spot as one of the team’s three core starting pitchers this season and should play an even more prominent role come next season.
Female Athlete of the Year:
Remy Borinsky ’19 (Soccer)
Remy Borinsky has established herself as a powerhouse for the women’s soccer team, starting all but two games of her career and making Second Team All-Ivy her freshman year and First Team All-Ivy her sophomore, junior and senior years.
This season, Borinsky led the Big Green with six goals and six assists on the season, tying her for fourth in the conference with 18 points.
The Warren, NJ native was named the Ivy League Player of the Week twice this season, becoming the first Big Green player to receive the award since 2015 and first sole recipient since 2014. Borinsky also became the first Dartmouth player to win the Player of the Week award twice in one season since 1999. She was named First Team All-Ivy and was one of three players to be named to United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region. This represents her fourth Ivy League honor and third First Team selection.
Borinsky received her third postseason award when the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Soccer Association named her a Second Team All-New England selection. She was one of five athletes from the Ivy League to make the first or second team.
Katharine Ogden ’21 (Skiing)
Katharine Ogden ’21 is back on the nomination list — this time for Female Athlete of the Year — after she took home Rookie of the Year in last year’s D Sports Awards. The sophomore Nordic skier from Landgrove, VT secured her second consecutive Women’s Nordic Skier of the Year title, awarded by the United States Collegiate Ski Coaches Association. Ogden proved her dominance with a first place finish in the women’s 15k classical and a fourth place finish in the 5k freestyle at the NCAA National Collegiate Skiing Championships in March, where the Big Green finished fourth. Closer to home, Ogden’s success was recognized by the Dartmouth skiing program with the Martha Rockwell Award, which is given to someone “who, in the estimation of the coaches, has performed the best throughout the season.” Ogden was also named one of 30 semifinalists for the prestigious Amateur Athletic Union James E. Sullivan Award, given to the most outstanding athlete in the U.S. in any sport. Past recipients include Peyton Manning, Shawn Johnston and Michael Phelps. Ogden’s impressive sophomore season comes on the back on a historic season, during which she became the first Dartmouth skier to win two titles in one championship in 56 years at the 2018 NCAA Skiing Championships.
Cha’Mia Rothwell ’20 (Track and field)
Dartmouth track star Cha’Mia Rothwell ’20, a Durham, NC native, had another remarkable season in the long jump and hurdles for the Big Green. A former Class of 1976 Award Winner (Most Outstanding Female Athlete), Rothwell added two more First-Team All-Ivy League honors to her growing résumé. Rothwell, who was the Ivy League Indoor Heps Most Outstanding Female Field Performer in 2017 and 2018, won her seventh Ivy League Heptagonal Championship competition (fifth indoor) by speeding to a 8.37-second finish in the 60m hurdles. The victory was her third in three 60m hurdles Indoor Heps races, as Rothwell became the sixth sprinter to accomplish the three-peat. She secured the three-peat in Outdoor Heps as well, winning her third consecutive 100m race with a time of 13.53 seconds. Rothwell previously set the program records for the 60m hurdles and 100m hurdles and will look to build on her accomplished career next weekend at the NCAA East Regional.
Micah Schroder ’20 (Softball)
Second baseman Micah Schroder ’20, hailing from Houston, TX, put up one of the best seasons in program history for Big Green softball en route to Ivy League Player of the Year honors. She excelled to a .586 BA/.638 OBP/1.014 SLG slash line in Ivy League games and a .473/.539/.786 slash line overall which gave her the best batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage among all Ivy players. Her batting average and 40 total RBIs were the best in Dartmouth history while her 41 hits and 33 RBI in league games exceeded all other Ivy League players by 10. In addition to the Ivy League Player of the Year award, Schroder earned a spot on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I All-Northeast Region First Team, unanimous First-Team All-Ivy recognition and three Ivy League Player of the Week awards. The second baseman has been a revelation since starting her career with a .217 average her freshman season.
Kierra Sweeney ’19 (Lacrosse)
Kierra Sweeney ’19, who comes from Oakton, VA, played a phenomenal final season for the Big Green. After scoring 39 goals in the 2018 season — good for second on the team — she came back for a brilliant senior season, accumulating 58 goals in 17 games. This average of 3.41 goals per game is the 16th-most in all of Division I women’s lacrosse this season and the second-most in the Ivy League. Sweeney also racked up the third-most assists on her team with 15, and led the Big Green in total points (73). Her contributions set up the Big Green to earn a share of the Ivy League Championship title with Princeton University — and when Dartmouth lost in the first round of the Ivy League lacrosse tournament, to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Sweeney received recognition for her achievements from the Ivy League when she was one of three Dartmouth lacrosse players to take home All-Ivy First Team honors.
Male Athlete of the Year:
Charlie Broom ’20 and David Horneffer ’20 (Tennis)
Charlie Broom ’20 and David Horneffer ’20 have been forces of nature for the Big Green men’s tennis team. Much of their success has come as a pair, which is why we co-nominate them for Men’s Athlete of the Year.
Broom has received All-Ivy First Team honors in each of his three years competing for the Big Green. His freshman year, he received honors just in singles, while for the past two seasons, he was named to the first team for both singles and doubles. Horneffer, Broom’s doubles partner, also received All-Ivy First Team honors in doubles this season.
As a pair, Broom and Horneffer are ranked ranked No. 19 in the country for doubles. They went 5-1 against ranked opponents this season and received an automatic bid to compete as one of 32 doubles teams at the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championships. When they travel to Orlando, FL this week, Broom and Horneffer will become the first Dartmouth doubles team to make it to the postseason since 1976.
Adrian Clark ’20 (Hockey)
Hockey goalie Adrian Clark ’20 gave opposing offenses a hard time throughout the season. The Toronto native was named to the 2018-19 All-Ivy League First Team, a well-deserved honor for the amazing season he had in net. Clark recorded a strong save percentage of .910, and he finished the season with a Dartmouth-record six shutouts. Moreover, he tied the all-time Dartmouth record for career shutouts with his fifth, giving him a great chance to break the record in his senior season. Even over the course of a long season in which he racked up nearly 2,000 minutes of playing time, Clark’s performance never wavered at the end of the season. In the team’s final game against Harvard University, he stepped up in a big way with a season-high 36 saves. Additionally, Clark managed to post two assists on the season, with one coming in one of his shutouts against Yale University as he assisted on more goals than he let in. His save percentage has increased every season and should only continue to trend upward for his senior season.
Eduvie Ikoba ’19 (Soccer)
From Bettendorf, IA, Eduvie Ikoba has played an integral role in success of the men’s soccer team over his four years, helping Dartmouth win the Ivy League title in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each of those seasons.
Before his career at Dartmouth, Ikoba was a Top Drawer Soccer four-star recruit and captain of his team, leading his teammates to the US Youth Soccer ODP National Championship.
Ikoba impressed his freshman year, tying the team lead with four goals. After struggling with injuries his sophomore year, he bounced back his junior year in a breakout season. Ikoba scored eight goals and assisted on three, earning himself a spot on the All-Ivy League First Team and National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Region team.
This year, Ikoba has again earned a spot on the All-Ivy First Team and All-Region honors, scoring five goals and making an assist in the final three games. In his final game against Brown University, Ikoba led the Big Green on a blistering comeback win, scoring twice in a 4-1 victory over the Bears. His impressive performance saw him named the Ivy League Player of the Week, and he became first Big Green player to receive the award this season.
Ikoba led the Big Green in both goals and points and finished top 10 in the league in points. As the 63rd overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft, Ikoba looks forward to showcasing his talents for FC Dallas in the coming years.
Tanguy Nef ’20 (Alpine skiing)
Originally from Geneva, Switzerland, Tanguy Nef ’20 has been a prodigious skier in his career with the Big Green, and this year was no exception. After exceptional freshman and sophomore seasons, highlighted by All-American First Team recognition in 2018, Nef did not slow down in his junior year. He took first place in the men’s giant slalom at the NCAA Skiing Championships, and was named the Men’s Alpine Skier of the Year by United States Collegiate Ski Coaches Association for the second consecutive year. The Dartmouth ski team’s coaching staff also awarded Nef the Norwegian Trophy, which is given to the best player on the team during that season. Nef split time between the Dartmouth ski team and the Swiss World Cup team this season, but will take his senior winter off to focus on the World Cup circuit and transition more fully into professional skiing.
Isiah Swann ’20 (Football)
Isiah Swann ’20, a native of Queen Creek, AZ, had a legendary junior campaign. The cornerback led the Football Championship Subdivision with a whopping nine interceptions, three of which came in one game against the College of the Holy Cross and another two of which came against Columbia University. Swann was also a sure tackler, leading the league in tackles and ranking third in the FCS with 18 passes defended, 39 tackles made and one fumble recovered. For his stellar play, he was named to the Associated Press FCS All-America First Team, solidifying his status as one of the best cornerbacks in the nation. Swann anchored a defense that allowed a mere 12 points per game this season and was arguably the most impactful contributor to the Big Green’s incredible 9-1 season. Swann will be one of two captains for the Big Green next season as he looks to add even more accomplishments to his résumé.
