Princeton University Athletics
Nearly Four-Gotten
March 01, 2001 | General
It was a constant reminder of her collegiate career, hanging there in the den of her California home. She passed by the framed Ivy League certificates daily, not necessarily giving them a second thought. Not until she was named to the Ivy League women's hockey Silver Anniversary team.
She was pleased when notified of the distinction but decided it was time to investigate an omission that had been perpetuated for years.
Syrena (Carlbom) Weber '84 had been remembered as a three-time recipient of the Ivy League Player of the Year award. One of only five Ivy athletes in any sport to earn the honor three times, it certainly is an accomplishment that contributed mightily to her Silver Anniversary honor.
Somewhere lost in history, however, was Weber's Ivy Player of the Year designation as a freshman, which makes her the only Ivy athlete ever to garner four such awards.
At one point Weber read about an Ivy athlete who had an opportunity to win an unprecedented four league MVP awards. She remembers thinking, "Wait a minute, I've done that."
Aware for years that her honors had been understated, Weber's modesty precluded her from informing anyone. After returning to campus for her first Reunions experience, however, nostalgia hit.
"When I look back on it, it certainly means more to me today," she says of her accomplishments. She felt a sense of pride and wanted to set the record straight.
"It didn't surprise me that it had been overlooked," Weber says. "There wasn't any fanfare for women's hockey back then. It didn't command the respect that women's sports do today. In those days we were just lucky to have a referee show up for our games."
Playing defense, Weber guided Princeton to three consecutive league titles beginning in 1981-82. An offensive threat, she scored 45 points as a senior, more than twice as many as the second most productive blue-liner in the league.
In her four years the Tigers were 53-20 overall and 30-2 in the Ivy League. Weber once tallied eight points (two goals and six assists) in a game and concluded her career with 151 points (68 goals and 83 assists), sixth highest in Princeton history.
Weber was part of three of the four longest winning streaks in school history, including a record eight straight wins in 1982-83. Also, the Tigers' 16 wins in 1981-82 are the second-highest single-season total in Princeton history. The 1983-84 team established the school record for points in a season with 288 (135 goals and 153 assists).
The daughter of Canadian parents, Weber played hockey with her three older brothers and on boys' teams until age 16, when her size became a hindrance. After a brief hiatus she returned to the ice once enrolled at Princeton.
Today she is a manager of financial operations at Raytheon Corp., an aerospace company in El Segunda. She and her husband, Jonas, have a six-year-old daughter, Skylar, but work, marriage and motherhood haven't kept her from the rink. She has played in a women's tournament sponsored by the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and has joined her husband's team in a non-check, adult league.
Her teammates probably don't realize that they are playing with a four-time league Player of the Year. But until recently only the Weber den wall knew differently.
by Kurt Kehl