PVC AWARDS BANQUET

May 25, 2023

Ella Gantman is a goalkeeper and Academic All-Ivy honoree for Princeton women’s soccer. Gantman’s senior season saw her register 450 minutes over eight games, where she held opponents under two goals a game.

This February, Gantman received the Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize – the University’s top undergraduate honor – awarded to the senior who has most clearly manifested excellent scholarship, strength of character and effective leadership. She has been active with the Princeton Writing Center, Annual Giving’s TigerCall operation, Vote100 and Athlete Ally. A strong advocate for social justice, Gantman represented her team on the Ivy League’s 8 Against Hate council. She also co-founded the Poll Hero Project, a non-partisan organization that recruited 37,000 new poll station workers in the lead-up to the 2020 election. Gantman served as the organization’s Director of National Strategy. From Washington D.C., Gantman is studying in the School of Public and International Affairs, while pursuing a certificate in Spanish Language and Culture.

A mainstay in the First Varsity Eight for Princeton men’s heavyweight rowing, Nate Phelps helped lead this year’s Tigers to their first silver medal at Eastern Sprints since 2016. He is an Academic All-Ivy honoree and member of US Rowing’s under-23 National Team, where he led the USA men’s coxed four to a silver medal last summer.

Off the water, Phelps coaches young rowing athletes with the Special Olympics of New Jersey. He also helped found Princeton rowing’s STEM to Stern program, providing local underserved middle school students access to the sport of rowing and STEM curriculum. In addition to leading coordination efforts around volunteer groups, transportation and engagement with community partners, Phelps has worked with the national STEM to Stern organization in support of their annual Rowers for Change fundraiser. Phelps is also a Student-Athlete Wellness Leader and previously supported The College Prep Project, helping to prepare high school seniors for college. An economics major from Ridgefield, Conn., Phelps is pursuing a certificate in finance

Serena Starks, a team captain and two-time first-team AllIvy honoree for Princeton softball, was unanimously named the 2023 Ivy Player of the Year after leading the Tigers to back-to-back Ivy League championships in her two full seasons on the diamond.

A 2023 Spirit of Princeton award recipient, Starks has demonstrated a commitment to service through her involvement with the Student-Athlete Service Council, Student-Athlete Wellness Leaders, and the University’s Service Focus program. As Co-President of the Princeton Disability Awareness Board, Starks organized a carnival that brought together Princeton students and more than 40 individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities. Starks has also been active with the Special Olympics, Best Buddies and Academic Success Today programs. She co-founded the Asian Student-Athletes of Princeton student affinity group, and serves on the Tigers Together Executive Committee. From Huntington Beach, Calif., Starks is studying in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.