HAVERFORD, Pa. – Sophomore Sarah
Waldis, a starting midfielder for the Haverford College field
hockey team, was presented the 2013 Archibald MacIntosh Award
during an on-campus ceremony in her honor Thursday
evening. Waldis is the seventh field
hockey player to receive the honor in the award’s 49-year
history.
The Beta Rho Sigma alumni society has presented
the award in MacIntosh’s honor to the top scholar-athlete in
the first-year class at Haverford since 1964.
Waldis was in the starting line-up for each of
Haverford’s 19 games during her freshman season. No other
first-year player accumulated more than seven starts. She led the
team with three defensive saves and helped limit opponents to 14.9
shots per game and only 2.05 goals per contest. In the attacking
end of the field Waldis helped spark an offense that generated a
Centennial Conference-best 3.14 goals per game average.
In March of her freshman year Waldis was named a
Gladiator by SGI/National Field Hockey Coaches Association 2012 Division III
Scholar of Distinction. The 140 student-athletes
selected for the scholars list achieved a cumulative grade point
average of 3.90 or higher through the first semester of the 2012-13
academic year.
The Haverford community played an integral role in
Waldis’ successes in her first year on campus. "During that
first week of freshman year, as I sat in my room feeling exhausted
after a tough practice and struggling to complete my first calculus
problem set, I would never have believed myself capable of
receiving an award like the MacIntosh," reflected Waldis. "However,
shortly thereafter [that night] I began to discover the meaning of
community at Haverford. In my time here at the College I have found
incredible support on and off the field, athletically and
academically, from truly amazing peers and mentors who continuously
push me to be better, for which I could not be more thankful. I am
grateful to receive this award and want to give thanks to my
family, teammates, classmates, coaches and professors, without whom
I could never have achieved such an honor."
Starting a freshman in every game requires a great
deal of trust. Head coach Jackie Cox recognized she had a special
player on her roster. "Sarah exemplifies what a student-athlete
needs to do to perform at the highest level on the field and in the
classroom," said Cox. "She consistently brings her competitive
nature and skill to practices and games and is a leader in every
way. Sarah is a standout field hockey player in the Centennial
Conference and will continue to be throughout her career at
Haverford."
Waldis is exploring several majors at Haverford but
plans to pursue a post-secondary degree after graduation and plans
to work with pediatric developmental disorders.
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