Princeton University Athletics
Four Tigers Named Finalists For Roper Trophy
May 15, 2024 | Football, General, Men's Fencing, Men's Squash, Men's Volleyball
Four Princeton student-athletes have been named finalists for the 2024 William Winston Roper Trophy which is awarded annually to a Princeton senior man of high scholastic rank and outstanding qualities of sportsmanship and general proficiency in athletics. Presented by Mrs. William W. Roper and the Class of 1902.
The William Winston Roper Trophy will be presented at the Gary Walters '67 Princeton Varsity Club Awards Banquet on Thursday, May 23rd starting at 5:00 p.m. ET. For more information on the 2024 banquet, click here.
Meet the 2024 finalists!
KARIM ELBARBARY | MEN'S SQUASH
Karim Elbarbary joined the ranks of Princeton's All-American honorees in 2022, winning the Molloy East draw in his CSA individual championships debut. Elbarbary's junior season saw him become first-team All-American and add first-team All-Ivy League honors to his résumé while ascending to the number one position in the Tiger line-up. A computer science major from Cairo, Egypt, Ellbarbary made his Pool Trophy draw debut as a junior as well, making the quarterfinal round. As a senior, Elbarbary had the five-game clinching win in the final men's match in Jadwin Gym, helping Princeton rally to defeat No. 2 ranked Penn and win its first Ivy League championship since 2013. He proceeded to make the quarterfinals in his second trip through the Pool Trophy draw and earned first-team All-American and first-team All-Ivy honors for the second consecutive season.
BEN HARRINGTON | MEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Ben Harrington finished his Princeton career by becoming the program's sixth player to receive postseason AVCA All-American recognition as an honorable mention. As a senior, Harrington, an economics major from Glen Ellyn, Ill., broke the NCAA single-match aces record with 13 against Queens University and led the nation in aces per set at 0.64. Harrington garnered First Team All-EIVA honors in each of his three seasons of competition, was the 2022 EIVA Newcomer of the Year and a member of the 2023 EIVA All-Tournament Team, and was named the 2022 EIVA Tournament Most Outstanding Player while leading the Tigers to wins over Penn State and NJIT en route to the program's third EIVA Championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament. Harrington is a seven-time EIVA Offensive Player of the Week and 2024 All-EIVA Academic Team selection.
LIAM JOHNSON | FOOTBALL
The senior captain has done it all during his time at Princeton, collecting back-to-back First-Team All-Ivy selections in 2022 and 2023 while corralling 173 total tackles. In 2022, Johnson earned the Bushnell Cup as Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year after contributing 90 tackles and two defensive touchdowns for a team that was in contention for the Ivy crown until the final play of the season. A politics major from Moorestown, N.J., Liam was fourth in the conference with 83 stops in 2023. The linebacker also saw time in every game in 2021, helping the Tigers to the 2021 Ivy League championship with his signature moment being the blocked punt for a touchdown in the five-overtime victory over Harvard, widely considered one of the greatest games in program history. A selfless leader on the field, Johnson also served as co-President of the Student-Athlete Service Council, spearheading community service efforts across the Department of Athletics.
TRISTAN SZAPARY | MEN'S FENCING
Tristan Szapary's final bouts as a member of the Princeton fencing team added him to the program's record books for all-time when he knocked off top-seeded Henry Lawson of Harvard, 15-9, in the épée semifinals and then beat Notre Dame's Jonathan Hamilton-Meikle 15-14, winning on a double touch to take the title. It was Princeton's ninth individual men's fencing national championship and first since 2012. The All-American honor that came with the NCAA title was Szapary's second straight. Over his Tiger career, Szapary, a two-time team captain and a neuroscience major from Wynnewood, Pa., was a two-time NCAA regional champion and three-time All-Ivy League honoree, twice earning first-team honors. Szapary's final season also saw the team return to the top of the Ivy League, winning its first men's Ivy title since 2017. That followed a 2023 season where Szapary helped the team to a national runner-up finish at the 2023 NCAA Championships.
The William Winston Roper Trophy will be presented at the Gary Walters '67 Princeton Varsity Club Awards Banquet on Thursday, May 23rd starting at 5:00 p.m. ET. For more information on the 2024 banquet, click here.
Meet the 2024 finalists!
KARIM ELBARBARY | MEN'S SQUASH
Karim Elbarbary joined the ranks of Princeton's All-American honorees in 2022, winning the Molloy East draw in his CSA individual championships debut. Elbarbary's junior season saw him become first-team All-American and add first-team All-Ivy League honors to his résumé while ascending to the number one position in the Tiger line-up. A computer science major from Cairo, Egypt, Ellbarbary made his Pool Trophy draw debut as a junior as well, making the quarterfinal round. As a senior, Elbarbary had the five-game clinching win in the final men's match in Jadwin Gym, helping Princeton rally to defeat No. 2 ranked Penn and win its first Ivy League championship since 2013. He proceeded to make the quarterfinals in his second trip through the Pool Trophy draw and earned first-team All-American and first-team All-Ivy honors for the second consecutive season.
BEN HARRINGTON | MEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Ben Harrington finished his Princeton career by becoming the program's sixth player to receive postseason AVCA All-American recognition as an honorable mention. As a senior, Harrington, an economics major from Glen Ellyn, Ill., broke the NCAA single-match aces record with 13 against Queens University and led the nation in aces per set at 0.64. Harrington garnered First Team All-EIVA honors in each of his three seasons of competition, was the 2022 EIVA Newcomer of the Year and a member of the 2023 EIVA All-Tournament Team, and was named the 2022 EIVA Tournament Most Outstanding Player while leading the Tigers to wins over Penn State and NJIT en route to the program's third EIVA Championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament. Harrington is a seven-time EIVA Offensive Player of the Week and 2024 All-EIVA Academic Team selection.
LIAM JOHNSON | FOOTBALL
The senior captain has done it all during his time at Princeton, collecting back-to-back First-Team All-Ivy selections in 2022 and 2023 while corralling 173 total tackles. In 2022, Johnson earned the Bushnell Cup as Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year after contributing 90 tackles and two defensive touchdowns for a team that was in contention for the Ivy crown until the final play of the season. A politics major from Moorestown, N.J., Liam was fourth in the conference with 83 stops in 2023. The linebacker also saw time in every game in 2021, helping the Tigers to the 2021 Ivy League championship with his signature moment being the blocked punt for a touchdown in the five-overtime victory over Harvard, widely considered one of the greatest games in program history. A selfless leader on the field, Johnson also served as co-President of the Student-Athlete Service Council, spearheading community service efforts across the Department of Athletics.
TRISTAN SZAPARY | MEN'S FENCING
Tristan Szapary's final bouts as a member of the Princeton fencing team added him to the program's record books for all-time when he knocked off top-seeded Henry Lawson of Harvard, 15-9, in the épée semifinals and then beat Notre Dame's Jonathan Hamilton-Meikle 15-14, winning on a double touch to take the title. It was Princeton's ninth individual men's fencing national championship and first since 2012. The All-American honor that came with the NCAA title was Szapary's second straight. Over his Tiger career, Szapary, a two-time team captain and a neuroscience major from Wynnewood, Pa., was a two-time NCAA regional champion and three-time All-Ivy League honoree, twice earning first-team honors. Szapary's final season also saw the team return to the top of the Ivy League, winning its first men's Ivy title since 2017. That followed a 2023 season where Szapary helped the team to a national runner-up finish at the 2023 NCAA Championships.
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