HAVERFORD, Pa. – Jacob Olshansky was honored Thursday
evening with the William W. Ambler Award, presented by the
Haverford College department of athletics to the senior athlete
with the highest cumulative grade-point average.
Ambler honorees must have participated and started in at least
one sport throughout their college career, and have demonstrated
commitment, sportsmanship and leadership. Olshansky is a member of
the Fords' cross country and track teams.
Olshansky was not sure, perhaps even skeptical, that he would
attend Haverford. A visit to the College on Pinwheel Day and an
inspirational conversation with track & field and cross country
head coach Tom Donnelly turned the tide and made the decision
easy.
Before that visit, Olshansky “wasn’t even sure that
I wanted to be a collegiate athlete.” Donnelly became more
than just a running coach through four years of coaching Olshansky.
“(Donnelly’s) daily pre-practice talks have instilled a
set of values that have made me a far better runner, and a far
better student than I thought possible before starting my career
here.”
Olshansky found a home academically as well. “The
tight-knit, welcoming, and intellectually-intense chemistry and
physics departments have done an amazing job sparking my interest
in the field and have stirred my excitement about a career in
science.”
Following his graduation from Haverford, Olshansky will pursue
his doctorate in materials chemistry with a goal of creating
alternative energy solutions.
Olshansky’s research mentor, Alex Norquist, clearly feels
there will be a day when Olshanky’s research efforts are
realized. “Jacob is not the kind of student who comes along
every year, or five years, or even every 10 years. He is truly
remarkable,” Norquist said. “The depth of his
intellectual curiosity is astounding. I wish I could say that
I’ve pushed Jacob in research lab, but the truth is that I
try to keep out of his way.”
Norquist continually challenged Olshansky in the lab. “He
has attacked the most difficult research problems that I could
devise, and excelled in ways that I could never have
imagined,” said Norquist. “The apparent effortlessness
with which Jacob has driven his chemistry forward can hide his
dedication and his intellectual engagement with his thesis
work.”
In cross country and track, Olshansky has been a contributing
member of each program’s rich heritage. He has been on six
Centennial Conference championship teams—three indoor track,
two cross country and one outdoor track—and one national
championship (2010) team in cross country. His relay team raced to
the indoor 4x800 title at the 2011 league championship meet and he
was part of the program’s season-best time in the distance
medley relay during the 2011-12 indoor season. He will close out
his Haverford athletic career having been named to the
Centennial’s academic honor roll each of the nine times he
was eligible.
“Jacob is a great example of the type of athlete who has
helped our program become successful,” states Donnelly.
“Without having great high school running credentials he
still worked hard enough and took himself seriously enough as an
athlete that he has gone on to become an instrumental part of many
conference championship teams in track and cross
country.”
Joining Olshansky at Thursday's ceremony were 15 of Haverford's
most distinguished senior scholar-athletes (along with their
academic advisors, coaches and faculty liaisons), honored for
their own accomplishments and as representatives of the many
student-athletes who have excelled during their time at Haverford:
Zoe Becker (women's squash), Andrew Bostick (men's fencing), Mike
Bozzi (baseball), Matthew Cohen (men's cross country, track &
field), Jamie Croucher (women's cross country, track & field),
Will Garrett (men's tennis), Patrick Haneman (men's cross country,
track & field), Kevin Hoffman (men's cross country, track &
field), Nathan Karnovsky (men's tennis), Alejandro Rettig y
Martinez (men's soccer), Lindsay Ryan (women's soccer), Anna Schall
(women's track & field), Jake Seeley (men's soccer), Natty
Sergay (men's tennis) and Alice Vienneau (women's cross country,
track & field).
Ambler epitomized the scholar-athlete. He graduated from
Haverford in 1949 with honors in mathematics and was a starting
tackle on the last undefeated football team in 1942. Originally in
the Class of 1945, Ambler left the College to perform alternative
service as a conscientious objector in World War II.
After graduation, Ambler taught math at Oakwood School and was
an admissions office at the University of Pennsylvania before
returning to Haverford as the assistant to the admissions director
in 1956. Ambler was named Associate Director of Admission in 1960,
then Director in 1965. He retired in 1987, was honored by Haverford
with an Honorary Degree in 1991, and died in 1995 soon after his
50th class reunion. Ambler's late wife, Barbara, and many of his
former colleagues were present at previous Ambler ceremony
presentations.
