Epperly, Kang, Kessel, MacDonald, Porter Named Finalists For Roper Trophy

Complete information on the Gary Walters '67 Princeton Varsity Club Awards Banquet

For the first time in Princeton University Department of Athletics history, finalists for the top senior male and female athletic awards have been named in advance, with a single winner of each award to be announced at the Gary Walters '67 Princeton Varsity Club Senior Award Banquet next week.

There are five nominees for the William Winston Roper Trophy, awarded annually to a Princeton senior man of high scholastic rank and outstanding qualities of sportsmanship and general proficiency in athletics: Quinn Epperly of the football team, Sammy Kang of the men's squash team, Cody Kessel of the men's volleyball team, Mike MacDonald of the men's lacrosse team and Cameron Porter of the men's soccer team.

QUINN EPPERLY

Quinn Epperly rewrote the Princeton football record book, earned the 2013 Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year award and led the Tigers to a magical 2013 league championship to punctuate one of the most historic seasons in the proud tradition of Ivy football.

Epperly, a sociology major from Knoxville, Tenn., leaves Princeton ranking in the Top 5 in eight major program statistical categories. He ranks second in both rushing and passing touchdowns, and he recorded 43 of those when he led the Tigers to an 8-2 record as the starting quarterback of the 2013 team. He threw for more than 2,100 yards and 25 touchdowns, while rushing for 18 more, to bring both the Ivy trophy and a bonfire to Princeton's campus.

Epperly saved his best for Harvard, though. He threw a game-winning 34-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining of the 2012 game to cap a 29-point comeback; one year later, he broke the Princeton single-game completions (37) and touchdown passes (six) record in a 51-48 triple-overtime win at Harvard. The last pass of that game would be the game winner, and his next 29 passes after that were all completions to set an NCAA record during another win over Cornell.

SAMMY KANG

Sammy Kang, an economics major from Singapore, was a four-time All-America honoree for Princeton squash. He improved his national ranking every year, including three times inside the Top 10, while playing primarily at the No. 1 spot for the Tigers during the last three seasons.

Kang was one of two freshman starters for Princeton in one of the most historic matches in college squash history. He played No. 5 for the Tigers in 2012, when Princeton rallied from 4-2 down to win the national team championship at the expense of Trinity's 13-year reign over the sport. He also helped Princeton win two Ivy League championships.

Kang reached the CSA individual quarterfinals as a senior, and he lost to either the eventual champion or finalist in each of his final three trips to the national championships. A team captain, he was an instrumental presence in the transition from Hall of Fame head coach Bob Callahan to current head coach Sean Wilkinson, and his dedication to the program will have lasting effects on the young players he mentored.

CODY KESSEL

Cody Kessel, a history major from Colorado Springs, Colo., will be remembered as one of the greatest players in the history of men's volleyball at Princeton. He became the third All-America honoree in program history, though he was the first to achieve the honor in multiple seasons.

While Kessel's individual numbers stood out — he ended his career with more than 1,000 kills and he ranked third in the NCAA this season in both points and kills — he was proudest of the team accomplishments during his four-year run in Orange and Black. Over the last four seasons, Princeton earned five wins over nationally ranked opponents; the Tigers had a total of three during the previous 13 seasons.

Princeton also made four straight trips to the EIVA semifinals; the Tigers had made only three trips to the semifinals since 2000. He led Princeton to the 2014 EIVA final, and he was a top performer during a match that few in that packed, raucous Dillon crowd will ever forget, a 3-2 comeback win over Penn State that ended a 35-match losing streak to the Nittany Lions.

MIKE MACDONALD

Mike MacDonald graduates as one of the greatest scorers in the long history of Princeton men's lacrosse, with several accomplishments that no other player in program history has ever matched.

MacDonald set the school record for points in a season this past season, when he had 78 points on 48 goals and 30 assists. He graduates third all-time in goal scoring in program history with 132, as well as fourth all-time in points with 208 and ninth all-time in assists with 76.

In addition, he is the only player in program history with a season of at least 40 goals and at least 30 assists and the only player in program history with at least one game of seven goals and another of six assists. He is one of two players at Princeton in the top 10 all-time in both goals and assists. He scored at least three goals in a game 10 times as a senior.

His career numbers would have been even more off the charts had he not been slowed by injuries that required surgery to both hips after his junior year.

MacDonald was the 2015 Ivy League Co-Player of the Year and a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selection, giving him two first-team All-Ivy selections in his career.

MacDonald is a politics major from Georgetown, Ont.

CAMERON PORTER

Cameron Porter led Division I this past season with 2.00 points per game and .88 goals per game, while tying for first in total goals with 15 and second in total points with 34.

The 2014 Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, he was also named the ECAC Player of the Year and the Soccer News Net Fan Player of the Year. He was twice a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selection and earned second-team honors as a sophomore. Porter was also a unanimous NSCAA first-team all-region selection this year while earning two national Player of the Week honors. In addition he was named CoSIDA second-team academic All-America and NSCAA Scholar All-America.

Porter caps his career with 75 points on 31 goals and 13 assists in 67 games. He ranks fourth all-time in points at Princeton with 75, is fourth in goals with 31 and is 12th in assists with 13.

Porter signed an MLS contract with the Montreal Impact this year and became an instant success with the organization. In his professional debut he scored the dramatic stoppage-time goal to send Montreal to the CONCACAF champions league semifinal before suffering a season-ending injury two weeks later.

Porter is a computer science major from Centerville, Ohio.

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