PVC AWARDS BANQUET

Class of 1916 Cup Finalists

There are five finalists for the Class of 1916 Cup, awarded each year to the Princeton varsity letterwinner who continuing in competition in his or her senior year achieved at graduation the highest academic standing.

Ella Gantman is a goalkeeper and Academic All-Ivy honoree for Princeton women’s soccer. She made seven starts this past season, yielding less than two goals per game during her time between the posts.

Gantman was recently awarded the University’s Pyne Prize, Princeton’s top undergraduate honor, which recognizes scholarship, character and leadership. Additionally, she has been honored with early induction into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, and earned the James D. Zirin and Marlene Hess Scholar in the Nation’s Service award. During her time on campus, she has been active with the Princeton Writing Center, Annual Giving, Vote100 and Athlete Ally.

Gantman is also a finalist for the Department of Athletics’ Art Lane ’34 Award for contributions to sport and society. From Washington D.C., Gantman is studying in the School of Public and International Affairs, while pursuing a certificate in Spanish Language and Culture.

Madeleine Polubinski is an IRA All-Academic honoree for Princeton women’s lightweight rowing. In 2022, she paced the varsity four to a bronze medal at the Eastern Sprints and fourth place finish at the IRA Championships, helping the Tigers to the IRA women’s lightweight national team title for the first time in program history. This year’s varsity four captured gold at Eastern Sprints for the first time since 2010.

Off the water, Polubinski serves on the Princeton Disability Awareness Council. In this role, she helps organize campus events to promote awareness, education and inclusion for children living with physical and intellectual disabilities. She also volunteers with the Special Olympics of New Jersey and previously served as Vice President for the Princeton Undergraduate Law Journal. Polubinski is a politics major from New York, N.Y.