Princeton University Athletics
McKenna, Vitale, Weiner Earn 2004 Art Lane Award
May 27, 2004 | General
May 27, 2004
PRINCETON, N.J. - Brian McKenna (lightweight crew), Vincent Vitale (soccer) and Kevin Weiner (men's swimming) are the three recipients of the 2004 Art Lane Award, given by the Princeton Varsity Club to honor selfless contribution to sport and society by an undergraduate.
The award is named for Art Lane '34, who captained the 1933 Princeton football team to the national championship before embarking on a career as a Naval officer, a federal judge and a corporate general council.
McKenna, an All-Ivy member of a men's lightweight crew that captured the 2003 Ivy League title and will compete for the 2004 national title next weekend, has worked at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for three consecutive summers. The camp, founded by Paul Newman, is for children, ages 7-15, with life-threatening illnesses, ranging from cancer and sickle-cell to AIDS. Some kids are away from their parents for the first time ever, while others come every summer until they are 15 years old. He also attempted to grow a 10-inch ponytail for the "Locks for Love" program to provide wigs for children undergoing chemotherapy. Although his hair wouldn't fully cooperate, his dedication to helping others has inspired all in the men's lightweight crew program.
The same holds true for Vitale's influence on the men's soccer team. The winner of the Daniel Dachs Scholarship and a finalist for numerous other scholarships, Vitale proved he could work just as hard in the community as he did in the classroom or on the soccer field. He launched and continues to help lead the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at the Lawrenceville School, and has been a Bible Study leader and Big Brother mentor. Vitale has participated in Read Across America, served at a soup kitchen in Philadelphia and sponsored a Kenyan child in the Compassion program. His service has taken him on journeys both near and far; he has led high school retreats as well as traveled to East Asia for Missions trips and to Zambia for the Athletes in Action soccer ministry tour.
The third winner is Weiner, who helped develop the Youth for Organ Donation Awareness (YODA) at both Princeton University and the surrounding communities. He has spoken at schools, banquets and conferences, including one sponsored by the Educational Opportunity Fund Program, in hopes of getting the word out about the importance of organ donation and the need to inform family members of your intentions to donate. Weiner has overseen the registration and participation of at least 50 YODA members. The organization has established a website link between Princeton and The Sharing Network of New Jersey, and it is working on creating an annual, campus-wide lecture series with several guest speakers, as well as combining forces with such campus groups as Organs Now! and the Blood Drive Committee.
Jon Nuger was the recipient of the Class of 1916 Cup, which is awarded to the senior athlete with the highest cumulative GPA. Nuger, a member of the men's golf team, is a history major.