Class Of 2026 Honored At Gary Walters '67 PVC Awards Banquet

The Class of 2026 gathered once more at Jadwin Gym to celebrate four years of outstanding competitive success, civic engagement and academic growth during the 2026 Gary Walters '67 PVC Banquet. Throughout the course of the evening, Princeton's major department awards were presented to a group of tremendous senior student-athletes.

William Winston Roper Trophy - Top Senior Male Student-Athlete
Mitchell Schott | Men's Swimming & Diving
Mitchell Schott is a two-year captain for Princeton Men's Swimming & Diving, An East Asian Studies major out of Newport Beach, California, Schott became Princeton's first Top-8 NCAA finisher since 2012, earning two First Team All-America honors and two Second Team honors at the 2026 NCAA Championships. Additionally, he qualified for the NCAA Championships in eight events.

Schott is a two-time Ivy Championships High Point Swimmer of the Meet, a nine-time Ivy League Champion, and a three-time Ivy League Runner-Up. Schott rewrote the program record book by setting school records in 12 different events during his career. He also excelled academically, earning three CSCAA Scholar All-American honors and two Academic All-District selections.

Schott closed out his Princeton career as a part of one of the program's most historic seasons, helping lead the Tigers to their first undefeated campaign since 2015-16 and back-to-back Ivy League titles following an eight year-long drought. Princeton also recorded its highest NCAA team finish since 2012, placing 22nd nationally while earning its most championship points since 1990.

C. Otto von Kienbusch Award - Top Senior Female Student-Athlete
Beth Yeager | Field Hockey
Beth Yeager, an economics major from Greenwich, Conn., is one of the most decorated players in the history of Division I field hockey. Her Princeton career saw her become the first Ivy League field hockey player and eighth in Division I history to be a four-time first-team All-American, as well as the first in her sport to be a four-time Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year. A four-time unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selection, Yeager began her career as the league's Rookie of the Year and followed that by winning Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year and honors and becoming a Honda Award finalist as a sophomore.

After taking a year off from Princeton to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where she started every game for the United States, she returned to school to lead Princeton to the NCAA quarterfinals as a junior and to overtime in the NCAA championship game as a senior, captaining both teams. She won another Mid-Atlantic Player of the Year Award and was a Honda Award finalist again as a senior, when she also was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Ivy League tournament and to the NCAA tournament All-Tournament Team.

A member of the full U.S. national team since she was 17, Yeager finished her Princeton career with 59 goals and 35 assists, making her the second player in program history ever to achieve those numbers.

Art Lane Award - Service To Sport And Society
Jaden Weddeburn | Football
A senior offensive lineman for Princeton football, Jaden Wedderburn has been a servant leader for both his team and team community throughout his Tiger career.

Wedderburn has been deeply involved in the local community, helping connect middle school students at Christina Seix Academy with Trenton community leaders to explore topics around urban planning and public policy as part of the Perfect City Service Focus project. Additionally, he served as a team lead for Urban Promise Trenton where he developed a curriculum for a youth mentorship and empowerment program. Wedderburn also worked in the office of NJ Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson as a team-lead for the Social Justice Group.

Back on campus, Wedderburn has been an active leader with the Black Student-Athlete Collective, volunteered as a Vote 100 Ambassador and served as a Yeh College councilmen. He partnered with the Keller Center for Innovation to co-found EVAL, an online platform that evaluates talent and helps high school Esport athletes turn their passions into careers.

Wedderburn is an anthropology major from Glassboro, N.J., pursuing certificates in law, politics, and economics.

Chris Sailer Leadership Award - Exceptional Leadership & Committment To Others
Shea Greene | Women's Track & Field
Shea Greene is a senior and two-year team captain for Princeton women's track & field. She is a two-time 2nd team All American and the first four-time Ivy League champion in the javelin, and recently helped the Tigers become the first Ivy women's program to achieve back-to-back Heps Triple Crowns.

A servant leader who effectively inspires across her team's event groups and the greater department, Greene has been part of the Executive Team for the Student-Athlete Wellness Leader program, and is a founding member of herteam's Community Service committee. Additionally, she serves as Co-President of the Jewish Student-Athlete Collective, a class representative for the Department of Politics and Undergraduate Associate for the Julis Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy and Finance.

An All-Academic honoree from Weston, Conn., Greene is majoring in politics and pursuing a certificate in entrepreneurship.

Class of 1916 Cup - Senior Student-Athlete With Highest Academic Standing
Braeden Carroll -- Men's Lightweight Rowing
Braeden Carroll is a two-time IRCA Scholar-Athlete for Princeton men's lightweight rowing. The Tigers have captured an IRA National Championship and two Jope Cup Championships during Carroll's time with the Orange & Black

Carroll was recently awarded the University's Pyne Prize, Princeton's top undergraduate honor, which recognizes scholarship, character and leadership. He is also a two-time Shapiro Prize recipient, which recognizes undergraduate academic excellence, and a two-time George B. Wood Legacy Prize recipient. Carroll has worked with the High Meadows Environmental Institute throughout his time at Princeton, and also been active with the Undergraduate Student Government and the Students Event Committee.

From Kinnelon, N.J., Carroll is a civil and environmental engineering major.

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